Frozen in Flames
by Shadow's Firebird
Summary: Bakura, a young hunter in the Encorés clan, has been training his whole life for a chance to smite a Vampire. But what happens when a handsome Vampire prince starts to change his mind about the mission? T for violence, romance & languae. May go up later.
1. The Beginning

**Hoshi: Hey all! We are back!**

**Kage: Excited? **

**_-crickets chirping-_**

**Hoshi: We expected as much.**

**Kage: This is a new story for you all! A vampire-licious yaoi romance story between Ryou and Bakura!**

**Hoshi: Unfortunately, Ryou isn't in the story yet, but we promise he will show up by the second or third chapter. **

**Kage: So here's the first chapter! Rated only for violence so far, but we'll try not to censor everything as much as in the last stories. We really like it better when it's as good as we typed it to start.**

**Hoshi: Which really isn't saying much. **

**Both: Now...ENJOY!**

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_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. _Bakura ducked next to a large rock, eyes rolling to look up at the sky. "Geez, do they have to be so dramatic? Why on earth would the vampires even use a machine like this?"

Kochi shushed him. "Bakura! We need to be quiet! They only have the machine there to distract us."

The two peeked over the rock to look at the large metal device that was stomping towards them. It sort of resembled a fifty-foot egg, with huge clawed feet and a venom gun near the midsection. Something this large and odd-looking coming towards you would terrify most normal humans, but not Bakura. He had been trained his whole life to deal with the strange and horrifying. After all, he was a vampire hunter, and the vampires were a whole lot smarter than people gave them credit for. There was no telling what kind of strange weapons and elixirs that their scientists were inventing even right now. They had to be prepared for anything.

"Whatever. Let's just get in, kill the vampire, and get out," Bakura hissed. Kochi was about to protest, but the whinette had already taken off in the direction of the palace.

"Augh, Bakura!" Kochi whispered in frustration. She followed him behind a trail of rocks, to a gap in the field. On the other side of the monster, dozens of guards were marching in front of the gates. Kochi slapped herself in the forehead. "Great, now what, genius?"

"Hmm…" Bakura scanned the area. "We need a way to take out the monster, or at least distract it, and move the guards."

"Why not try tactic 8?" Kochi volunteered.

"Ah, the old diversion tactic!" He rubbed his hands together. "Cool. You go be the diversion."

"No way," Kochi protested, shaking her head. "I was the diversion last time. It's your turn, frosty head."

Bakura rolled his eyes at her childish insult, climbing up onto a bush. He got down on his haunches, prepared to leap out. Then he turned to look at Kochi. "Hey, I happen to like my white hair. And besides, it's better than blue." He flicked a lock of her navy hair before jumping into the open grass.

Kochi's face puffed up. "At least mine is well kept! Not like that huge mop!"

Bakura laughed. "Yeah right! At least I don't look like I'm wearing a large insect on my head!"

Kochi brushed back her bowl-shaped hairstyle, eyes glinting in annoyance. "I told you that I wanted it long! That dumb stylist is an idiot! I told her that I wanted it to 'shine like a beetle'! And she cut it like that!"

"Who'd want their hair to 'shine like a beetle' anyway?" Bakura teased, jumping onto the back of the egg-machine. He pulled on his warrior claws and dug a hole in the hull right to the center, where he ripped out the battery. The machine fell to the ground, emitting small sparks here and there. The whinette hopped down, brushing off his shirtsleeves. "Personally, I think glossy hair is irritating. Reflects too much light. Looks too greasy."

It was astounding how they could still keep up a normal argument through this whole façade. By now, the guards had noticed them, and were stomping madly in their direction. Kochi rolled her eyes.

"Good job at the diversion, Bakura. Now they've noticed both of us."

Bakura waved the charging guards off like they were nothing important. "Big deal. We killed the machine, the guards will be easy."

The two jumped about eight feet straight up in the air, and came crashing down on the heads of two or three of the guards. Instantly, they got to their feet. Several of the guards drew their swords. Kochi did as well. However, Bakura preferred to hack and slash at the guards with his warrior claws. The two completely tore the men apart, ripping their limbs off and shredding them to within an inch of their lives. After about ten minutes, the fight was completely over. Kochi and Bakura stood over the bleeding and unconscious guards. Being vampires, the only way to kill them was to stake and burn them. Bakura walked over to a tree and attacked it with his claws. He returned carrying about forty or fifty wooden stakes, the huge pile stacked on his thin arms. The whinette dropped them on the ground in front of his partner, who rolled her eyes.

"Well, let's get stabbing"! Bakura laughed, grabbing a few stakes from the pile.

The two walked around the dying men, pausing every few seconds to stab a steak into one of their hearts. Every time a steak went in, the vampire would make a loud choking noise, their eyes rolling back in their head. This would kill them instantly, but the only way to make sure that they were completely disposed of was to burn them in a fire. After about half of the men had been staked, Kochi left to go gather some firewood. She wandered off into the forest, her sword poised and ready to slash at anything that stood in her way. Bakura snorted under his breath.

"Too melodramatic, that one," He sighed, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "And easily distracted. It's a shame. She's such a good fighter."

The whinette picked up more of the steaks and started throwing them into the chest plates of the guards, rather than kneeling down and stabbing them. This seemed to work just as well, and was more efficient. Bakura smirked. He threw three stakes at a time, letting out a grunt as he did so. Each one met its mark perfectly. He grinned in amusement. Having good aim with a steak was second nature by now, due to all the times he'd needed to use them. After all, killing vampires was more than just his job, it was a way of life for the teen. His entire existence was focused around taking out the lead vampires in the opposing clans, him being the son of the clan leader. He'd spent tireless hours training, learning to fight off the bloodsuckers. The entire clan respected him as one of their best warriors. His records showed that he'd killed more vampires in the past two years than the rest of his family combined. It made him proud to know that he was such a deadly enemy to vampire-kind.

A loud scream jerked Bakura from his thoughts. In less than two seconds he was on his feet, running in the direction of the forest. He strapped on his warrior claws as he moved, his eyes scanning the area for the source of the cry. Suddenly, he came to a clearing. His heart pounded in his chest. There was no doubt that Kochi had made that noise. He wondered if she'd been captured.

"Come out!" He shouted, standing tall. "I don't want to have to kill you!"

Rustling behind him caught his attention. He spun around, coming face to face with a black haired vampire, who was holding Kochi around the neck. The man looked back at Bakura, his eyes bright and full of interest.

"Don't want to have to kill me?" He wondered, mock fear lacing his voice. "Well I'm terribly sorry I hid then! Surely the noble son of the Encorés clan will spare me?"

Bakura snarled at him, watching Kochi struggle against his arm. "Let her go."

The man tilted Kochi's head, exposing the arteries in her neck. "Aw, c'mon now," He said, his lips brushing the soft skin. "I'm not going to hurt her. I'm just a little thirsty, that's all."

Kochi trembled against his grip, all strength leaving her. Bakura spit on the ground in disgust.

"Yeah right," He sneered. "You'd just love to have another one of our people on your side. How do I know you're not going to infect her with that venom of yours?"

The vampire grinned, revealing pearly fangs. "I was only out looking for a snack, and your friend just happened to be unlucky enough to walk by. Why would I change her when I could save my venom for someone stronger?"

The gleam in his eye told Bakura clearly what he was going to do, but even that didn't prepare him for it. The man lunged, his teeth aiming for his neck. Bakura slashed him in the stomach, tearing through the flesh and leaving a gaping hole in his midsection. However, this didn't delay the vampire for even a second as he sunk his fangs into the artery by Bakura's jaw.

'_No! No!'_ Bakura screamed in his head, feeling the venom start to flow into his bloodstream. He was not going to let himself be turned into a vampire! With a grunt, he tried to jab his claws into the side of the man's head, but his attack was blocked easily. The loss of blood and paralyzing effect of the venom was rendering Bakura completely weak. He could barely lift his arm. The man was drinking too much. He could already feel his consciousness fading.

"Bakura!" Kochi cried, her voice vague and fuzzy, as if it were coming out of a badly tuned radio. She gripped her sword and jumped on the man, stabbing it right into the top of his head. A choking sound came from the vampire. He opened his mouth, Bakura's blood dripping onto the ground. His fangs were jerked out of the teen's neck as he fell to the ground. With a loud grunt, Kochi pulled a steak from her belt and stabbed it into his chest. She watched the color leave the man's face as his body shut down. He was dead within seconds.

Next to her, Bakura fell to his knees, clutching the bite marks in his neck. He coughed up some blood, his stomach feeling like it was full of acid. Kochi gasped and knelt by his side.

"Bakura?" She asked timidly. "Are you – "

Before she could finish her sentence, the teen collapsed to the ground. His body trembled violently. Shock and fear crossed Kochi's face as his brown eyes met her green ones.

"I'm fine," He choked, a grin forming on his lips. "It takes a lot more than that to bring me down."

Without warning, the entire world around them faded. All the trees, the grass and bugs, even the dead vampire just simply evaporated, replaced by an enormous plain of springy grass. Several other warriors were currently taking down a simulation projector. They hauled the large metal box off of its stand and slowly carried it back to the castle, passing Bakura's father and several other clan leaders on their way. Bakura got to his feet, his face turning red as he saw his father walking towards him. He stood firm, Kochi also straightening up. They looked at their leaders in expectation.

"Alright," Harrun Bakura grunted. "I'm quite disappointed. You two did well with fighting the guards. However, I am less than pleased with your dealing with the vampire. Especially you," He added, pointing to Bakura with his cane. "I would have expected better of you, Bakura. You got distracted. If this were a real life situation, you could be lying unconscious on the ground right now, almost a vampire yourself."

Bakura nodded, his face flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, father."

Harrun smiled, looking at the two warriors fondly.

"On the other hand…" Their spirits brightened at this. "Out of everyone who took the challenge today, you two showed the best combination of team fighting." He laughed, roughly messing up Bakura's hair. "And you didn't die! Quite an accomplishment compared to some of the others."

The two teens laughed, feeling a bit better. Harrun tapped his cane on the ground.

"Yes, yes. I'll send you two off with a B. You've done a fair job for today."

He turned and started to walk off, waving at the two as he left. Kochi turned to Bakura, her face glowing.

"A B!" She exclaimed. "That's not too bad at all! I heard that Moji and Kendo got a D on their final!"

Bakura nodded, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. "That's another two merits on our records," He added. "A few more and we'll be able to go on Elite ranked missions!"

Kochi cheered. "Why don't we go and check out the board? You know, just to see what we might get to do?"

The two took off at top speed, a race suddenly breaking out between them. Bakura shot through the halls of the castle, unintentionally knocking people over in his wake. Kochi was more careful about passing through, but that didn't slow her down. It was a close victory as she touched the wooden frame of the message board first. She fell to the ground, panting, her eyes shining in satisfaction.

"I won," She said from the floor. "Now read what it says."

Bakura rolled his eyes, turning to look at the piece of parchment that was tacked up. _"Elite Missions:" _He read. _"A rank only, a stealth and attack mission to assassinate the Aikuun King. _Woah!" He exclaimed, turning to his friend on the ground. "Killing the King of the Aikuun vampire clan? That'd be incredible!"

Kochi nodded, getting to her feet. She read the part that Bakura had and snickered.

"What?" Bakura wondered.

"The Aikuun clan?" She giggled. "Isn't that the one with the really cute prince?"

Bakura whacked her over the head. "Baka. Don't go falling in love with people you have to kill."

Kochi snarled at him and walked away, feeling slightly hurt. Bakura looked at the words written on the board again. _"Assassinate the Aikuun King." _

"That one," He confirmed quietly. "That's the first mission I'm doing when I become an A rank."

With a grin, he walked off in the direction of his room, thinking about what he'd said to Kochi. He was right though. She shouldn't be fawning over any vampire, no matter how good looking they were. After all, they'd probably need to kill him someday. He let out a sigh, feeling ready for a well-deserved rest. Warrior claws in his hand, he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, no where near as prepared for tomorrow as he thought he was.

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**Hoshi: So what'd you think?**

**Kage: Cool? Good? Okay? Crapish on a level even I can't understand?**

**Hoshi: Tell us! Give us suggestions for future chapters! We don't care! We just want the reviews!**

**Kage: TELL US ANYTHING! TELL US ABOUT YOUR DOG! SOMETHING ICKY YOU STEPPED IN LAST WEEK! ANYTHING! AHHH! _-crashes into wall which was randomly placed there and not actually connected to anything-_**

**Hoshi: _-lifts unconscious Kage up- _Remember, we wuv you! Read and review!**


	2. The Glimpse

**EDIT: PAGE BREAKS HAD TO BE PUT IN CHAPTERS 2, 3 AND 6! SORRY FOR THE SLOPPY DIALOGUE!**

**Kage: Finally! Chapter two of our bloody vampire story!**

**Hoshi: And Ryou's in it! *random cheering***

**Kage: Sorry about the MASSIVE delay in getting the next chapter up. Just before we got it finished (which I'm ashamed to admit was about three weeks ago) our jump drive broke. That being our ONLY METHOD of getting stories on here, we had to wait until our little brother found another one and kindly let us use it.**

**Hoshi: Thank you! ^_^**

**Kage: And thanks to all the viewers out there that read our stories.**

**Hoshi: WE'VE DECIDED TO CONTINUE AND FINISH THIS ONE, SOMEDAY!**

Bakura rolled over in his sleep, trying to fight off the imaginary monsters in his dreams. A maid smirked at him, watching the teen kick at something in midair. She turned to pick up a sock he'd left on the floor, listening in amusement to the loud thud he made as he fell off the bed. Bakura jumped to his feet, standing in his fighting pose. After a few seconds, he realized he was in his bedroom, in his pajamas. He slumped back into an almost normal standing position, a frown on his face.

"Aww," He whined. "I was having fun."

The maid laughed heartily, turning to smile at the whinette.

"Well, you can't spend all morning killing imaginary vampires," She scolded, her voice light and full of humor. "You need to take the second half of your exams today."

"Oh yeah!" Bakura said. "We have the written part today!" Slowly, he thought about what he just said, his cheerful mood plummeting. "Oh yeah," He muttered, sounding glum. "We have the written part today."

He was never any good at written tests, being more of a physically working person. But if he ever wanted to make it to A rank, he'd have to pass the test with at least a B, something that wasn't too hard to manage. He walked around to his closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Quickly, he changed out of his pajamas, not really caring that the maid was there. The jeans were pulled up his legs and the T-shirt was jerked over his head, his jacket going over it. Without another word, he ran out the door, reciting everything he knew about vampires in his head.

'_Okay, the main component of vampire venom is their blood combined with several toxins such as…'_ He struggled to remember. _'Um…I know it's supposed to affect your nerves…tetrodotoxin?'_

He suddenly paused. "Wow. I'm surprised I even knew that word."

"What word?"

Bakura internally groaned. He recognized that voice. Marik stepped around the corner to grin at Bakura. He seemed to have gotten dressed up for the tests today, as the edges of his wild blonde hair were dyed red, making it look as though his head was on fire.

"None of your concern, Marik."

"Aw, c'mon," Marik teased, wrapping his arm around Bakura's neck. "I want to know! Is the word 'estrogen'? Because you wouldn't have any experience in that department, would you?" He sighed dramatically. "I'm not surprised."

Bakura kicked him in the shin so he would release his grip. "Ha, ha. I have had far more experience with girls than you have Marik, seeing as you're gay."

"Oh, contraire, my elderly-haired friend," Marik retorted, stepping a little too gracefully around behind Bakura. "Girls _love_ gay guys. Have you ever _seen_ how many them try to sit by me at lunch? Especially when Malik's around."

The whinette rolled his eyes. Malik was Marik's equally obnoxious boyfriend. However, where Marik was rude and abrasive, Malik was a bit calmer, and spoke with more tact. The two Egyptians had been his best friends even longer than Kochi had. They had helped Bakura pull all sorts of hysterical pranks in the past, and always went on adventures with him. (Adventures being exploring the forbidden areas of the castle and peeking in the men's locker room. Bakura only peeked because Malik and Marik were.) The only problem with the two boys is that they had absolutely no shame. _None._

It was then that Malik appeared at the other end of the empty hall, completely on cue as usual. Noticing his boyfriend, the teen dashed over and threw himself in his arms, grinning widely.

"Hi," He said, leaning up to kiss Marik on the lips.

"Hello gorgeous," Marik joked, lifting up Malik's head for another. The two continued to kiss until their make out session had gotten pretty intense. Bakura only stopped them as Marik was trying to remove Malik's shirt.

"Hey, that's enough. You two don't need to do that in the hallway," Bakura snapped.

Malik looked up at him with his best puppy eyes. "Please Bakura? Please?"

The whinette's eyelid twitched in response. "No. Other people don't need to see that and you don't need to make a mess of the nice clean floors."

"Pfft. You're no fun," Marik scoffed, kissing Malik again.

Bakura rolled his eyes, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Just go to a closet at least, please? I don't want to have to watch that again."

Malik cheered, hugging Bakura around the neck and pecking his cheek. "YEAH! We have permission now!"

The two darted into a nearby broom closet, swiftly locking the door. Bakura was about to protest, but decided against it. Maybe sex would take the edge off their hyper moods for a while. He sighed, heading off down the corridor.

"Who knows?" He muttered to himself. "Maybe father will catch them and cancel the tests to give everyone a stern talking to."

The whinette snorted, turning a corner. Yeah. His father would cancel the test as soon as the Aikuun kingdom was turned into potted plants. Out of nowhere, the sound of quick footsteps met his ears. He turned around to see a butler dashing towards him, his short gray hairs being blown back.

"Bakura-kun!" He called, wheezing. "Your father wants to see you immediately! It's very important!"

Thrilled at the excuse to be late for his classes, Bakura took off with the man, headed for his father's room. Even from the bottom of the winding staircase, he could hear loud arguing from behind the door. He knocked on the wood, causing the people in the room to grow hushed. His father opened the door, his face stern.

"Bakura. Just the man I wanted to see," He huffed, his usual cheerful demeanor dropped. "We've got a huge problem."

"What is it?" Bakura asked, taking a seat in one of the armchairs.

Harrun glared at him. "Get up, son! This is no time for resting!"

Bakura quickly got to his feet.

"Now," His father said, pointing to a large piece of parchment that was stretched over an easel. "This is a chart of the disappearances that have been occurring in the nearby villages. As you can see, the vampires have been organizing huge kidnappings of cows and pigs."

Bakura tilted his head. "Livestock? I'll admit that's weird, but why does it concern us? The villages have a truckload of spare animals."

"This is important!" Harrun roared, whacking his son with his crown. "We think they might be up to something! I want you and Kochi to go in there and try to figure out what they're planning."

Bakura's face lit up. "We get to do an Elite mission? We're only B rank!"

Harrun crossed his arms, grinning proudly. "I have faith in you two. Your stealth skills far outrank a lot of my top fighters, and I'm sure you could beat your way out of any situation you get yourself in." He punched Bakura playfully in the arm.

"You got it, father," Bakura said. "This shouldn't take too long. Just give me a ham sandwich or something for the trip."

His father laughed. "Nice," He chuckled. "You go fetch Kochi. I'll send you two out in about half an hour."

Bakura waved on his way over to the door. Just as he got onto the staircase, he made a victory fist, whooping in glee. The sound of quiet chortling was heard not too far away.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"I still can't believe this!" Kochi whispered excitedly. "We get to go on an Elite mission!"

Bakura shushed her. "Shut up, Kochi. We're almost there."

The two leapt from branch to branch, each landing not making the slightest sound or movement. As long as they didn't speak, they could sneak in completely undetected.

"Alright, move out," Kochi said voicelessly, jumping up to a windowsill. Cautiously, she looked around the room before slinking inside.

Bakura, on the other hand, shot up to the roof, using the top of a large tree as a pole-vault. As he soared through the air, he was sorely tempted to shout wildly, waving his arms like the idiot teenager he was. He hit the roof with a silent fall, his face landing in gravel. Wiping off the bits of rock, he continued on into the castle, sneaking effortlessly around the guards. Just up ahead, there was a small door that led into a winding staircase. He descended it slowly, listening for the sound of any people. When he got to the bottom, he realized that he was on a ledge above a great dining hall. Directly below him, a beautiful white haired woman was talking to a tall man who Bakura assumed to be her husband.

"I hope we got enough pork," The woman said. "Lord knows the boys will eat enough of it."

Bakura made a victory fist. "Yes! I found it!" He whispered.

The man chuckled, his long black hair shaking slightly. His young looking face was bright. "I think we're fine. The neighboring villages have had quite a surplus of livestock lately, and we left enough money to pay for anything we took."

The whinette's jaw dropped. _'Father didn't tell me that!'_

"Good," The woman said, kissing her husband sweetly. "This is supposed to be a very special day for Ryou-kun. He's finally coming of age."

"Yes!" The man replied proudly, making his wife laugh. "The boy's finally seventeen. This is truly a proud day for the Aikuun family."

Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door. "Father? Mother? May I come in?"

Bakura felt his heart starting to melt at the gorgeous velvety voice. Who on earth could that be?

"Yes sweetie," The woman called.

Slowly, the large wooden door opened, and in walked a young boy of sixteen. He was robed in lovely red and black silk, the colors contrasting against his milky skin. His hair was the color of ivory, falling around his shoulders in sheets. Eyes of the deepest brown looked at his parents, childlike laughter hidden behind his strong presence. Bakura's heart felt like it was stopping.

"Hi mother, father. It's nice to see you," The boy said, the words soft and airy.

He embraced the slightly shorter woman, smiling.

"It's good to see you too, Ryou dear," She replied, holding his arms. "We've got the feast almost completely planned out."

Ryou grinned, his eyes bright. "Do we have pork?"

His father laughed. "Boatloads of it, son! In three nights, we shall have a feast!"

Ryou nodded. Suddenly his ear twitched. He looked directly at Bakura's hiding place, the whinette ducking out of the way just in time. His mother's expression was one of concern.

"Something wrong, sweetie?"

The younger whinette paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "No. Must have been a mouse."

His father patted his back, laughing heartily. "Why worry about that now? Let's go and see all the food we've prepared, eh?"

Ryou cheered, his parents chuckling. The three walked out the doors, leaving Bakura in silence.

'_S-so that's the prince, huh?' _He swallowed heavily. Suddenly, he froze, thinking hard for a moment. _'What am I so nervous about? The king and queen didn't freak me out like this, why him?' _He paused. _'I mean…for a boy, he's beautiful. And strong, nicely built…what am I talking about?' _

Bakura got to his feet, running swiftly out of the building. When he got to the trees, Kochi was already there waiting for him.

"I couldn't find anything," She whispered as soon as the two got out of hearing distance.

Bakura smirked. "I found out tons. Now we know why the vampires are taking the pigs and cows."

"Why?" Kochi asked.

"The prince is turning seventeen," He said, leaping across the branches.

Kochi started giggling. "Ooh! The prince? Did you get to see him? What's he like?"

"Yeah, I saw him," The whinette said, his confidence wavering. "He's…pale. Really pale, with white hair and brown eyes."

At this Kochi paused. "Kind of looks like you, except your eyes are red."

"Whatever," Bakura sneered, running ahead of her. "I don't look like some pansy-ass prince."

Kochi smirked. "Yeah Bakura. You're the _queen._"

The whinette was sorely tempted to whack her with something heavy. Then again, he actually did have the social position of queen. Since his mother died, he'd become the second highest-ranking person in the clan. Technically, he _was_ a queen.

Bakura smiled teasingly. "Better than being a lowly clerk's hand."

"YOU LITTLE - !"

The whinette laughed maniacally, darting ahead of his friend. Hopefully, he would be able to distract himself from what he'd just witnessed. His first sight of the beautiful vampire prince.

**Kage: I hope you enjoyed this, because it really wasn't worth the wait.**

**Hoshi: We're going to get started on chapter three when we get back from our short vacation. ^_^**

**Both: THANK YOU! PLEASE REVIEW!**

**(Sorry, editing had to be done. There's really no difference, just the time break in the middle.)**


	3. The Plan

**EDIT: Page Breaks added.**

**Hoshi: Yay! Chapter three! Finally!**

**Kage: Sorry for our not-so-frequent update schedule.**

**Hoshi: Enjoy!**

**Kage: Or not! XD**

"They should've been back by now," Harrun grumbled.

His butler tried to calm him down. "Sir, maybe they're hiding! They need to move slowly and quietly to get out of the castle safely!"

Just as Harrun was about to retaliate, a loud crash was heard outside. They both peered out the window. Kochi was standing on the roof of one of the towers whereas Bakura had smacked into the side of it. He'd managed to grab ahold of a windowsill but was dangling about forty feet above the ground.

"Are you okay, Bakura?" Kochi laughed.

Bakura growled irritably. "Just a poorly aimed jump. I'm fine." He struggled to pull himself up into the window. However, as he grabbed for a handhold inside, he ended up pulling the string of an old curtain. The heavy curtain fell into the window and knocked Bakura off the side of the building.

"Master Bakura!" The butler cried, watching him fall.

They heard a loud thud. "No, it's alright," Harrun said. "He landed on a bush."

Despite this, the butler yelled out the window again. "Master Bakura-kun! Are you alright?"

There was a rustling from the bush Bakura landed on. His voice boomed through the castle grounds. "I THINK I BROKE MY ASS!"

"He's fine," Harrun said, walking back to his desk.

The butler stared at him. "Shouldn't someone go help him?"

"Nah, Bakura's tough!" Harrun replied proudly. "That kind of pain builds character. He'll be just fine."

Kochi jumped down from the roof, landing nimbly on her feet. She helped Bakura up, watching him cringe.

"Ouch, that looked like it hurt," She said, touching his lower back.

Bakura winced. "I'm bloody fine." He wrenched his arm away from her. "I can walk."

She watched as he attempted to limp towards the castle. After about five steps, he fell on his face.

"On second thought, go get a doctor."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Yep," The doctor said, looking at an x-ray. "You've broken the end off your tailbone."

Bakura sighed. "Well this isn't going to help with stealth."

"When's he going to be better?" Kochi wondered.

The doctor flipped through her clipboard. "If you take…" She picked up a bottle and handed it to him. "This medication, you should be completely healed in about a month."

"A month?" Bakura bellowed. "That sucks!"

"I'll bet. Can't kill giant monsters with a broken tailbone," The doctor muttered.

Bakura got to his feet. "Well, I can sort of walk."

"Alright. Why don't we go talk to your dad? He'll want to know what the vampires are up to," Kochi suggested. She moved him out of the room by his arm.

"I'm fine!" Bakura protested, walking on his own.

Kochi rolled her eyes. "Bakura, if you don't let anyone help you your ass will just hurt more."

Bakura glared at her. "I don't need _your_ help fixing my ass."

Kochi was about to shout something when Harrun walked down the hall. He spotted the two teens and grinned, heading over to see them.

"Sorry about your rump, Bakura!" He chuckled. He clapped him on the back, making him stumble. "Did you find anything out about the vampires?"

"Yeah," Kochi said. "They're stealing the livestock for a feast. The prince is turning seventeen."

"Do you know which prince?" Harrun asked.

Kochi giggled. "It's the cute one with the long hair and pretty brown eyes and – "

Bakura cut her off. "Ryou."

"Ah, the thin one," Harrun stated.

"Father, they're all thin," Bakura replied, rolling his eyes. "They're vampires."

Harrun ignored him, thinking. "Hmm…I've got a brilliant plan. A truly brilliant plan!"

The two teens blinked at him. "What?"

The king turned his back to them for effect. "You know what happens when a vampire turns seventeen, don't you?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"At the hour when they turn seventeen, the chemicals in their bodies become unbalanced." He grinned. "For a few short hours, they become mortal humans, like the rest of us."

"That'd be the perfect time to capture him!" Bakura blurted, pumping his fist.

"Exactly!" Harrun agreed. "We could capture the prince and hold him hostage! If we kept him drugged, he'd remain human! He'd never be able to break out!" The king paused for a moment, thinking again. "But what would we want for ransom?"

"The king…" Bakura started. "Without a leader, the Aikuun kingdom would fall to pieces! They'd be open for attack!"

"Brilliant!" Harrun laughed, hugging Bakura around the shoulder. "We're a pair of geniuses, no?" He walked off down the hallway again. "I'm going to talk to the other leaders about this. We'll see if we can put our plan into action."

They watched him go, cheering as soon as he was out of hearing range.

"That's great, Bakura-kun!" Kochi exclaimed. "We'll be able to beat the vampires!"

Bakura nodded. "But there are other things to take into account," He said. "What happens when we capture the prince? Where will he stay? Who will watch him while he's here?"

"I will!" Kochi immediately volunteered.

Bakura whacked her over the head. "No. We don't need any fangirls molesting the prince. He'd rip you limb from limb."

Kochi raised an eyebrow. "That cute little prince? No way!"

Bakura gripped her shoulder, glaring. "Never underestimate a vampire."

Kochi watched with wide eyes as he lifted up the hem of his shirt, revealing a nasty scar. She almost flinched.

"A six year old gave me that," Bakura continued. "What do you think that a fully trained, highly capable vampire prince could do?"

Kochi blinked. "Uh…uh…"

"A hell of a lot more than you think, that's what," Bakura continued. He turned to go down the hall. "C'mon. Why don't we try to come up with more ideas?"

Kochi clapped, following him out of the hallway. Suddenly, a closet door opened, two naked, sweating Egyptians falling on the floor.

Malik sighed. "Well that was fun."

"Yeah." Marik looked around. "I wonder what time it is?"

Malik bit his lip. "Oops. I think we missed class."

"Aww, don't be sad," Marik chuckled, kissing him.

"But this could go on our final grade!" Malik exclaimed. "That's the ninth time we've missed Battle Class! We're gonna get a truckload of extra homework!"

Marik silenced him by pushing his tongue into his mouth. "We reap what we sow, eh? It's worth it." He slid his lips over Malik's ear. "I had fun."

Malik whimpered, then grinned. "Wanna spend another few hours in here?"

"FUCK! YES!" Marik cheered. He quickly shut and locked the door.

Minutes later, a janitor walked by the closet, hearing loud thumping and moaning. He shuddered.

"Great. Now I have to clean that too."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Harrun smiled, looking out the window. "This is brilliant. In three days, we will have the young prince in our clutches!"

Bakura grinned. "Yeah. Then we get his father."

"Like a game of chess," Harrun mused. "We'll have the king cornered."

"Then it's checkmate!" Kochi cheered.

"No stupid jokes, Kochi," Bakura said, leering over his shoulder at her.

The blue haired teen gaped at him. "Who died and made you queen?"

"My mom, idiot," Bakura sneered, not getting the joke at all.

There was an awkward pause.

"So who are we sending in to actually capture him?" Kochi asked, trying to be helpful.

Harrun thought for a moment. "Well, we're going to need some fast, strong and sneaky warriors to get in. We'll get Ootogi, and maybe that idiot Honda if we need a diversion." He tapped his chin. "The Jonouchi's wouldn't be a bad idea either. That girl could tear the head off an ogre."

"Let me go too, father!" Bakura interjected, standing up.

"I'm not so sure, boy," Harrun said. "Is your rear okay from that fall?"

Kochi was about to tell the king that Bakura had broken his tailbone, but the whinette quickly covered her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm just fine!" He exclaimed, grinning. "I could take on a hundred vampires! I'm at the top of my game!"

Harrun laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Alright, son. If you're really up to it, you can go on the mission." He smiled sadly at Kochi. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay back though, Kochi. You're fast and quiet, but if you slip up even a little the vampires could capture you. I don't think we could afford to lose one of our best female hunters."

Kochi stood up and grabbed Bakura's arm. "Excuse me sir, but I need to talk to your son for a minute."

She dragged the teen out into the hall by his arm. He stumbled along behind her, wincing as his foot jammed into one of the stairs. Growling, Bakura wrenched his arm from her. "What do you want?"

"How could you go on a mission like that?" Kochi whispered frantically. "You can hardly walk! What happens if you trip and can't get back up?"

"Listen Kochi," Bakura snarled, looming over her. "This will probably be one of the biggest missions of my life. I'm not going to pass up this opportunity for something as stupid as that."

"You could jeopardize the entire mission!" The blue haired girl exclaimed quietly.

"I don't care," Bakura snapped. He turned away from her. "If you don't mind, I've got some preparations to take care of. I'll talk to you when I get back from my little trip." He smirked. "And if you're nice, I might even let you talk to our cute little hostage too."

As he walked up the stairs, Kochi said one word in reply. "Cute?"

Ignoring this, Bakura walked back into his father's room.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Ready?" Bakura shouted, looking around at the other hunters.

"Yes, sir!" was the collective reply.

The whinette faced them with his hands behind his back. "Alright, folks. I know that a lot of you outrank me, and that a lot of you are smarter, stronger, faster and…well, none of you are better looking than me." He flipped a lock of his hair, causing some of the hunters to laugh. "But father's put me in charge. And I'm not going to be one of those prissy 'daddy's boys' who use this position to boss people around. I'm here to lead you into this mission with level heads and strong spirits. And if it comes down to it, I'm ready to fight by your sides into the thick of battle!"

The group before him cheered. Shizuka Jonouchi elbowed her brother, grinning. "Bakura-sama is a cool leader, isn't he?"

Katsuya leered at her. "Don't be getting any ideas. We've got to stay focused."

The brunette smiled. "Right!"

The attention was drawn back to Bakura as he cleared his throat. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Honda raised his hand.

"Big shock," Bakura chortled. "Yeah?"

"You never told us what the prince looks like. How do we capture him?" Honda asked.

Bakura grinned. "Ah, a valid point! Thank you, Honda." He crossed his arms, the grin not leaving his face. "The prince will be seventeen in several hours. I've seen him. He's about…this tall," He held his hand at about his eye level. "With long white hair and big brown eyes. Kind of hard to miss, really."

"Hah! A wuss like that? We can take him!" Ootogi bellowed.

"Keep in mind, people, the vampires will almost definitely be on their guard," Bakura reminded them. "They never underestimate us. I'm sure that they'll have their armed forces just crawling the castle walls. So we need to be stealthy. And if you're willing to go into this mission headlong," He smirked. "Be prepared. You could lose your life along the way. But for the good of the clan, and to finally thrash those vampires!"

A huge chorus of cheers broke out among the hunters. With high hopes and eager spirits, the men and women took off into the woods, splitting into the trees in the hopes of cornering the castle.

**Hoshi: Read and review!**

**Kage: And don't expect too much! XD**

**Hoshi: WE LOVE ALL OF YOU PEOPLE!**


	4. The Mission

**Hoshi: Oh...my...GOD.**

**Kage: We're so sorry everyone!**

**Hoshi: We went SEVEN FREAKING MONTHS without even working on this story! I feel so...ashaaaamed. TT^TT**

**Kage: And for your sake people, we really tried hard to get as much done as we could.**

**Hoshi: So get ready for not one...**

**Kage: Not two...**

**Hoshi: But THREE new chapters of Frozen in Flame!**

**Both: Enjoy!**

"Stay low," Bakura warned, slinking through the trees. "And look sharp."

The other hunters nodded, taking off in formation groups. Jonouchi, Ryuji and Shizuka got into a group with Bakura. They were the main attack force. It was their job to actually capture the prince. Since their stealth and sheer power was by far better than the rest of the squads', they would also be counted on to get any groups out of dangerous fights, and to evacuate the troops if it came down to it. However, Bakura felt like this was an unnecessary precaution. He was feeling empowered. The pain in his tailbone was totally numbed from the medications he was taking, and his physical strength was at its peak. He was ready to face anything they threw at him. Anything.

"Advance," Ryuji whispered, moving out to the left. He was second in command, behind Bakura.

Shizuka took the right, while her brother moved around to the back. Bakura stayed in the center, prepared to give the signal to duck out of sight. There was no sign of the vampires yet.

All of a sudden, Bakura's nose twitched. He gave them the signal to stop. Everyone froze, waiting.

"Something's burning," the whinette said voicelessly.

Ryuji looked confused. "What do you think – "

"SON OF A BITCH!" A voice shouted, echoing through the forest. The hunters jumped at the sound, desperately trying not to trip onto the stick-laden ground. Someone would surely hear them.

Inside the castle perimeters, a man was frantically shaking his hand, an angry burn on his last three fingers. He cursed loudly, kicking the massive skillet he was working at.

"Be careful, Atemu!" Yugi shouted frantically. "We can't damage this skillet! It's worth more that both of our heads!"

The older man was hissing in frustration. "Shut up, Yugi! It burnt me!"

Yugi smiled understandingly. He gently took Atemu's wrist, leading him out of the courtyard. "C'mon, let's get you bandaged up."

"But what if something happens to the skillet? We can't afford to not make the feast!"

Atemu blushed as the smaller teen pecked his cheek, laughing. "Atemu, that thing was even too big to fit in the colossal kitchen. What do you think will happen? It's not like anybody can steal it."

From the trees, Bakura's attack force watched as the two men walked into the castle, bickering quietly. Jonouchi snorted.

"Would you look at that hair?" He snickered, slinking in closer. "What do you think they eat, radioactive waste?"

"Silence!" Bakura snapped.

The blonde nodded, grumbling under his breath. Again, the force moved forward. There wasn't a soul to be seen, most everyone preparing for the prince's party. They slunk through the forest, nearing the castle wall. Several guards were stationed across the roof, about fifty yards in between each one. Bakura gave the signal to stop, stepping behind a large cluster of trees. His squad followed, waiting for a command.

"Okay, the guards are pretty sparse around the castle," He whispered. "The men on the corners should have a blind spot that we can take advantage of. However, they'll notice us once we get onto the roof. We need a distraction of some kind."

"I could get naked," Shizuka offered jokingly.

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah, Shizuka could get naked!"

Before Jonouchi could kill him, Bakura hushed them, pointing towards the guards in warning. An argument was sure to catch their attention.

"No, that's too conspicuous." He turned to Ryuji. "Ootogi, I need you to go deeper into the west part of the forest, close enough to the castle so they'll hear you but far enough to divert them from us. Then I want you to make as much noise as possible. Have you got any explosives on you?"

The black haired man grinned, pulling out a small bundle wrapped in cheesecloth. "Just give me a match, boss."

Bakura passed the stick to his comrade, adding, "Just remember, we're not looking for a fight. If they go for you, you run, got it? And don't head for the castle, head for the Wastelands."

"You got it."

The man shot off into the trees, moving silently over the summer brush. Bakura motioned for his team to follow him and slunk around to the east side of the castle. He positioned himself, Jonouchi and Shizuka so they would have perfect aim at the guards' blind spots.

"Alright. When you hear the bang, I want you to jump directly into the window of that first tower," He instructed, pointing to the large structure.

"How are we supposed to do that? It's so high up!" Jonouchi exclaimed.

Shizuka nodded worriedly. "Yeah, and what if someone's in there?"

Bakura grinned, tapping his nose. "I can smell Vampires from miles away. There aren't any up there, and any humans that could be in that room can be silenced by us effortlessly." He turned to Jonouchi. "As for the height, we can make that. Have more faith in yourselves."

Shizuka grinned, giving him a determined nod. Rolling his eyes, Jonouchi also smiled, turning towards the tower.

"Get ready," Shizuka whispered, bending her legs for the leap.

It was silent for a moment before a massive bang echoed through the landscape. The guards impulsively turned in the direction of the sound, giving the hunters a perfect moment to jump through the tower window. Bakura made the launch effortlessly, and Shizuka managed to avoid stumbling. However, Jonouchi hadn't pulled back enough, and smacked into the side, just below the window. The blow stunned him for a moment, and by the time he realized what had happened he had already slid halfway down the stone. He struggled to land on his feet, falling back when his soles made contact with the ground. Miraculously, Ryuji's explosives made enough of an echo to cover the noise. He looked up at the tower, his vision blurry. A harsh pain was gripping his face from the bridge of his heavily bleeding nose. He had broken it.

Shizuka and Bakura looked down in shock, not risking sticking their heads out the window. Jonouchi knew that he wouldn't have another opportunity to get into the tower. He looked seriously up at them and put his hand on his forehead in a salute.

"That's the signal to leave him!" Shizuka whispered. "We can't just let him lay there! The Vampires will get him for sure!"

Bakura frowned, patting her back. "I'm sorry, Shizuka. We just can't risk them seeing us if we go back for him. Jonouchi's smart enough to leave when he knows he's beat. He'll make it back to the tower just fine."

The girl was reluctant to leave her brother, but nodded. She followed her leader through the tower and down a winding flight of stairs. Their boots clattered off the stone, echoing through the empty corridor. Once they reached the last few stairs, Bakura stopped them again. He peered around the corner, checking for danger. Everything was clear, but lights were coming from beneath nearby doors. He touched his lips and pointed in the direction they needed to go.

'_Proceed quietly,'_ Shizuka noted. Fortunately, she'd studied up on the silent commands. If a soldier couldn't recognize every command in the handbook, they would be unable to go on stealth missions. In the back of her mind, she also remembered that Jonouchi hadn't passed the commands test. If he had been with them, he probably would have just run off without knowing what Bakura had said. Perhaps it was a bit fortunate that he hadn't made it into the tower.

They darted down the passage, keeping low to avoid being seen in windows. Suddenly, they came to a door entirely made of glass. Bakura froze, desperate not to pass the door. Slowly, he peeked through the corner of the glass, trying to see if there was anyone in the room. Unluckily, a small girl with tufty white hair was inside, standing in front of a mirror. She was running a brush through her ivory locks, humming softly to herself. The noise was barely audible through the thick walls. Mentally, Bakura cursed. If she noticed the two of them in the mirror, she would shout instantly. Vampires were taught to recognize the uniforms of Hunters. However, this child didn't look much older than four or five. Maybe if they passed the door in a casual manner, she wouldn't notice that they weren't dressed like the residents and just ignore them. The whinette turned to his comrade, whispering the plan voicelessly into her ear.

"I suppose it could work," Shizuka replied silently. "Just don't look conspicuous.

They stepped back a bit and straightened up. Bakura nodded to the girl. Steadily, they walked past the glass door at an even pace, Shizuka in front. It was uncommon for girls not to wear dresses in most castles, so she was more likely to be noticed in her long pants. However, it was not her, but Bakura that caught the child's immediate attention.

"Big brother!"

The tiny voice startled the hunters. They froze, unsure of what to do. If they ran, the girl could very well chase them and give away their location. But if they stayed, she could realize they weren't Vampires and call her parents. Unfortunately, they took too long to think. The child reached them in seconds, her inhuman Vampire speed powering her forward. She pulled the door open, her eyes bright.

"Big brother, I didn't think you'd - !" She suddenly stopped in the middle of her sentence. "Oh. You're not big brother."

"Uh, no. I'm not," Bakura replied shakily.

"Then what are you doing here?" The girl inquired, tilting her head.

Shizuka spoke up before Bakura could even think of a response. "We're messengers from a neighboring kingdom, sweetie. We've come with a message of congratulations for the young prince."

"For Ryou-chan?" The girl giggled. "Yeah, big brother's turning seventeen! It's so cool!"

"Sure is!" Shizuka smiled, squatting down to be on eye level with a child. "We've actually been wandering around a bit trying to find him. Can you tell us where he is?"

The child nodded. "Yeah. Big brother's been so busy helping with the party that I haven't seen him in a while. That's why I was so surprised to see someone that looked like him up here." She pointed down the hallway. "Brother is probably down in the meeting hall, talking to the servants. It's got a big blue door, you can't miss it." She smiled sadly at them. "But he's been so busy lately that he doesn't get a chance to talk much. If you wait until he has to go pee or something then you can congratulate him personally."

"Thanks so much, that really helps."

Shizuka ruffled the girl's hair, making the child giggle. The hunter then stood up and walked away, pulling Bakura behind her.

"Bye, lady! Bye, not big brother!" The girl called.

As soon as they were out of sight, the hunters started to run. They moved swiftly, avoiding making any noise or noticeable movements if they could. Even while they were darting around, Bakura was quietly thanking Shizuka.

"I have no idea how you did that," He whispered. "You're a genius. A brilliant, completely amazing genius."

Shizuka shrugged. "You just have to know how to talk to kids."

Suddenly, the blue door came into view. The two pulled up to the wall outside it, keeping still. Bakura glanced at Shizuka, tapping his wrist with one finger. Quickly, the girl glanced down at her watch.

"One oh-three," She whispered.

"Shit," Bakura growled. His eyes darted towards the door again. "We only have a few short hours to capture the prince. He turned seventeen at noon, right?"

"I think so," Shizuka replied.

This made the leader's eyes widen. "You _think_ so or you _know_ so?"

Shizuka bit her lip. "I'm pretty sure that's right! Yeah, yeah noon was right!"

Bakura sighed, hoping desperately that his comrade hadn't screwed up the times. If they ambushed the prince before he was vulnerable, he'd rip them to shreds. And after that, the other Vampires in the castle would probably show up to eat the shreds. Then a few days later, excrete the shreds. Bakura knew that one thing was positive about this mission: he did not want to become Vampire poop. At all costs, they had to get out of there alive, whether they had the prince or not.

Shizuka's soft voice jerked him from his thoughts. "Is he in there?"

The whinette crept forward noiselessly, searching for a keyhole. Unfortunately, the door was completely devoid of one. He wouldn't be able to tell the prince from anyone else if he peered in from the floor, and there was no space between the hinges and the wall. They had to just lie in wait, hoping beyond hope that the prince would be inside. However, they would be noticed if they stayed on this wall. Bakura glanced around, looking for a good hiding spot. Above them were support beams, moving horizontally across the ceiling. Bakura motioned to them, leaping up to the nearest one. A few seconds later, Shizuka touched down beside him.

"What now?" She mouthed.

Bakura gave her a rather annoyed glance, holding his hand up. It was palm down over the beams they were resting on. Then he pointed towards the door. According to his signals, they had to simply wait and see if the prince would walk out. The girl sighed, getting a bit more comfortable on the wood.

"I have to pee…" She grumbled silently.

They laid there, awaiting the prince's arrival. Bakura swallowed a nagging doubt that threatened to slither into his mind. What if the prince wasn't in there at all? What if they were just wasting their time up there in the rafters? He bit his lip. If they were doing this for nothing, the mission would have been pointless. He would have blown their only chance to capture the prince and finally conquer the Aikuun clan. Just as he was about to give the command to leave, the handle of the large door turned. He froze, watching anxiously. A dainty and naked foot stepped into view, bringing with it the body of their target. The prince looked around cautiously, smiling after a moment.

"Sir, are you sure you don't need backup?" A servant asked.

He turned over his shoulder to look at the man. "No, I'll be fine. The bathroom's right down the hall."

Bakura choked on his breath, drinking in the velvet purr of the boy's voice. He fought back a shiver, trying to keep himself focused. He watched the slender legs move beneath the black and red gown, carrying the prince on his way. His ivory hair danced gently against his back as he walked. Bakura blushed, tracing the teen's body with his eyes. Such a beautiful creature shouldn't be allowed to evade his capture. He imagined the prince, terrified and shocked, as they jumped down on him to take him away. That wasn't how he should be taken. He should be surprised at the sight of Bakura, his cheeks rosy with attraction. Then the boy should swoon into his arms, begging to be whisked away from that wretched castle. The hunter sighed at the very thought of having the prince all to himself. However, a powerful blow to the back of his head brought him spiraling back to reality.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shizuka exclaimed quietly. "Let's follow him!"

"Oh. Right."

The two ran off, Bakura desperately trying to clear his head. He would not allow himself to think about the prince in such a manner. He was a Vampire, first of all, he was a minor, and most importantly, he was a boy. Bakura, despite his blatantly fruity friends, would not allow himself to be classified as "gay". It would mar his reputation as a powerful and manly hunter. With that thought in mind, he forced himself to grip to the mission. He stepped ahead of Shizuka, leading the way across the wooden beams. They followed Ryou down the straight corridor, stopping when the boy made to turn.

"What now?" Shizuka signaled, pointing two fingers towards herself. That was the sign for "next orders".

Bakura pointed towards Ryou. "Follow on the ground, but stay silent."

They hopped down as Ryou turned into a nearby room. Slowly, Bakura slunk over the carpet, sticking close to the wall. He listened closely for the telltale sound that he needed to hear. The second the noise met his ears, he'd tell Shizuka to go. He waited a moment, the tension in the atmosphere palpable.

"C'mon…" He whispered.

At that moment, the sound of a trickle of liquid hitting a toilet bowl met his ears.

"Now!"

They burst through the door, Shizuka stopping to shut and lock it behind her. In an eighth of a second, Bakura had tackled a completely flabbergasted prince to the ground. He pulled out a portable gag from his back pocket and peeled the wax paper off of it, sticking it to the prince's mouth. It acted like duct tape, effectively silencing the boy. However, they were both too shocked to speak. Since Bakura had attacked the teen while he was going to the bathroom, the prince was rather exposed. And due to the face that he had been wearing a gown, the prince had needed to strip it off in order to go to the bathroom. Because of that, Bakura had pinned a completely naked Prince Ryou to the floor.

And to his utter horror, on the single most important mission of his entire life, Bakura realized that he now had an erection.

**Kage: Please review, guys!**

**Hoshi: It's all the reviews and support that really keep this story going. If it weren't for you guys, we very well may have taken the story off the computer by now!**

**Kage: And if you can, please review each chapter, and not just cram all your comments onto Chapter Six. It makes us look better if we have more reviews. XD**


	5. The Captive

**Kage: As promised, here's chapter five, with double the Tendershipping of a normal chapter!**

**Hoshi: Please don't throw tomatoes! ^_^;**

Bakura struggled to keep his breath even. He dragged his eyes down the prince's perfect form, swallowing heavily. The toned chest…the slender stomach…curved hips… A hard jolt of heat shot to his groin as he looked down at the prince's private areas. The boy was quite well hung for his age. Ryou was too shocked for words, wondering helplessly why a hunter who was clearly here to capture him was distracted with checking him out. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a female hunter running at them. He struggled to push the older man off of him, realizing the nature of the situation. However, his Vampire strength had been completely sapped. The curse of his first few hours as a seventeen-year-old left him a mere human. And unfortunately, he made a pathetically weak one. Shizuka grabbed his hands, tying them up with ease. She then stepped behind Bakura, binding the boy's feet. Grinning, she moved back.

"Lift him up, Bakura," She instructed. "We're out of here."

The whinette slid his arms under the prince's body. Ryou was shocked to feel how extremely gentle he was being. He picked the boy up to carry him bridal style, whereas Shizuka had expected the prince to be carelessly slung over his shoulder. She blinked at Bakura, confused at why he was treating the prince of a powerful Vampire clan like he was made of glass.

"Uh, dude? You're going to drop him like that," She said.

"Oh. Okay then."

Bakura gently turned the boy over, draping him across his right shoulder. The soft muscles of the prince's stomach pressed into his collarbone, making him blush. He glanced at the boy. From there, he had a fantastic view of his ass.

Shizuka kicked him in the shin, just enough to jerk him back to Earth. "C'mon, dumbass! I can hear them coming!"

Bakura immediately regained composure. He searched frantically for an exit, his eyes darting rapidly around the room. They caught sight of a large window on the opposite side. He gave Shizuka a grin, knowing she had seen it too.

"No time to do this pretty," Bakura said cheerfully.

They shot forward, crossing the linoleum in no time. Quickly switching Ryou to his arms again, Bakura burst through the glass, careful to shield the prince from the shards that poured around them. If the gag hadn't been over his mouth, Ryou would've screamed. Even throughout the terrifying drop, he was worrying about his kidnappers. He had been captured by a pair of young hunters, and of the Encorés clan, nonetheless. He felt absolutely humiliated. But on top of that, utter terror was gripping his heart. What would happen to him in the hands of such savages? He, a young, helpless, naked Vampire prince? They probably wouldn't kill him, or they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of capturing him. But he had a few hours left of being human. What if they tried to take advantage of his weakened state? What if they beat and raped him? Surely the white-haired man carrying him would have been on board with that. He was practically humping him with his eyes only moments ago.

'_Please hear them,'_ He begged silently. _'Oh please, let the guards hear them! C'mon, guards! Help me! Please, save me!'_

To his dismay, the hunters had made it into the forest. Even burdened with his weight, they moved at impossibly fast speeds. Almost no noise left their feet as they trod on the messy ground. They knew exactly how and where to step to prevent from being heard. Despite his crippling fear, he was slightly impressed with their skills. Hopefully, they had left enough of a scent for his men to follow them.

"Where to?" Shizuka asked.

"Straight through the woods," Bakura instructed. "After about eight hundred and fifty yards, bank a hard left. We should be headed back to base that way."

"Why are we making a curved path?" The girl questioned.

Bakura grinned. "Even though we've covered our smell, those Vampires can probably still track us. If they find that our scent suddenly turned, they might think that one of us has peeled off to leave a trail for them to follow. At the very least, they'll split their squad in half to cover both routes."

'_That's…clever,'_ Ryou thought to himself. Mentally, he shook his head. _'No! That's bad! If they split the forces then they'll only have half of their men when they get to the castle! They'll never be able to win that fight!'_ He was panicking, hoping that his men wouldn't fall for the trap. But what good was hoping going to do? It's not like his mental pleas would tell his men that they were being led on. All he could do was just believe in the higher intelligence of Vampire trackers. They would be able to sense what was going on. They had to.

Bakura suddenly banked, Shizuka following behind. Ryou curled impulsively closer, not wanting his legs to be smacked off by passing trees. It seemed that he older whinette had noticed his captive's movements. He pulled the boy in a bit tighter, trying to prevent any harm to come to his fragile body.

"We're close," Shizuka blurted. "I know this part of the woods. We have about a thousand yards left to go before we reach our territory."

"How do you know this place if it's not ours?" Bakura asked.

The girl giggled. "I've snuck out here to play with Ryuji before. Don't worry, we were just sparring. I just didn't want Katsuya to freak out because we were alone."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "You know better than to leave the grounds. You could be put in the detention center for that."

"I know. But who was going to report us? We weren't that far away!"

The whinette narrowed his eyes. "Nine hundred yards away from Aikuun territory is way too far for anyone to be going, even me. I don't want you breaking those rules again, Shizuka."

"You're not my mom, Bakura-kun," She snarled. "I don't have to listen to you."

"Shizuka, I'm saying this as both your comrade and your friend. You could get killed out there. And we both know what Katsuya would do to me if I let you get hurt."

Shizuka smiled. "Fine. I won't go this far out anymore. I'll stay closer to the kingdom next time."

"You'd better not go out more than a few dozen feet," Bakura warned.

Ryou was silently listening to the conversation between the two hunters. It surprised him that they sounded so…normal. He had been taught that Hunters were supposed to be complete savages, ripping through anything that moved and beating up their own kind. These two weren't anything like the pictures in storybooks he'd read when he was little. They talked, and laughed. And they were remarkably gentle with him. It could just be the obvious attraction that the man had to him, but he was being treated like a sacred object. Maybe Hunters weren't _complete_ monsters, as he had once thought.

Shizuka suddenly looked down to notice something she hadn't before. The front of Bakura's pants were bulging. Clearly, something had turned him on in a powerful way. She cleared her throat, trying to think of a way to casually bring up the subject.

"Um, Bakura? You seem to have a…situation going on there," She said carefully.

"What are you - ?" The whinette blushed hard, realizing what she was talking about. He struggled desperately to think of an excuse as to why he was hard. "Oh. That. Um…they had a couple of bottles of that pheromone perfume in the bathroom. You know, that stuff that attracts guys. I guess someone had sprayed some earlier and…well…"

"Oh. Okay, that makes sense," Shizuka replied honestly, turning forward again.

Bakura was shocked that she'd bought his lie. However, he managed to completely keep it from showing on his face, leading the boy in his arms to start to believe it too. The smaller whinette though for a moment, trying to remember what had happened in the bathroom.

'_Mira does keep some of that stuff around. Maybe the guy knocked a few bottles over when he tackled me. That would make a lot of sense then.' _A wave of relief swept over him. _'Maybe they won't rape me after all.'_

Bakura noticed a small sigh escape his captive. Had he believed him too? If the prince didn't know about his attraction to him, it would make all this much easier. He would be able to keep watch over the young boy without arousing suspicion. And Ryou wouldn't be fearful of him attempting something sexual. A bubble of satisfaction nestled into his mind. He'd gotten away with a completely bogus lie with no trouble at all. It filled him with a certain arrogant confidence.

"I see the grounds!" Shizuka exclaimed.

The two of them sped up, eager to show the king that the mission had been a success. They trod across the leafy ground, not putting much effort into being quiet anymore. Once they stepped onto Encorés grass, they would be home free. Ryou started to bounce a bit as Bakura's footsteps became less measured. Sticks and twigs were cracked as they ran, the noises only adding to their excitement. It made them feel as though the Vampires would never catch them, and that they were so close to home they could smell their brethren. With a joyful bound, Bakura stepped onto the springy grass of the kingdom grounds. He inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of the summer air.

"C'mon, let's go," He said to Shizuka, grinning wide.

They dashed through the grass, heading towards a massive castle up ahead. Footprints left in the ground started to disappear as they moved onto shorter and more trodden land. In no time at all, they had reached the doors of the castle. Bakura turned around, pushing on the colossal stone with his rear. The door moved slowly, a loud creak echoing through the large rooms inside. Ryou closed his eyes, afraid of what he'd see when they stepped over the threshold. Loud gasps greeted them as they moved across the stony tiles. Bakura grinned around at everyone, feeling immensely important.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He called to a room crowded with anxious spectators. "May I present to you…the prince of the Aikuun kingdom!"

Cheers echoed through the room. Ryou slowly opened his eyes, the noise startling him. He was in a huge entrance hall filled with people. There were hunters and students and civilians everywhere. Even the staircases leading to the next floor had people on them. The entire place reeked of humans. He winced, mortified and ashamed that he had been taken to such a place. He closed his eyes, hot tears curling down his cheeks. Bakura didn't seem to notice. He lifted the boy up for his fellow humans to see. They stared at the teen's exposed body as it was lifted off to a nearby hallway.

'_Stop looking at me,'_ Ryou whimpered in his head. He felt horribly filthy, like he was part of some sick peep show. He hated all the eyes on his body. The eyes of such disgusting, unworthy humans. No human had the right to look upon a Vampire prince with such…perverse glee. Surely these men and women were nothing but lechers, their hungry eyes scouring his young form. _'You're all repulsive. I'm not just meat for you to eyeball! I'm a prince, god damn it!'_

He squirmed in Bakura's arms, uncomfortable with the attention. Bakura, too pumped full of adrenaline to be that gentle, flipped Ryou onto his shoulder again. He held the teen's legs tightly, not allowing him to slip away. The younger whinette snarled, the noise inaudible through his gag.

They continued on down a few more hallways and down several sets of stairs before Bakura and Shizuka finally stopped. The girl smiled, turning to her leader.

"The cell should be all ready now," She said eagerly. "Completely Vampire-proofed. Our little prince won't be able to go anywhere."

Bakura grinned, kicking in the door they had stopped at. Inside was a long, dimly lit stone hallway. He carried their hostage down the corridor, almost bursting with satisfaction. Rudely, he slapped the young boy's rear, earning a sharp jerk from the prince's legs. He cackled, opening the large metal door at the end of the hall. The room he had stepped into was very dank and depressing. Inside was a ragged bed, a sink, a bucket and a chair. Bakura plopped Ryou down onto the bed, standing over him with a look of pure triumph.

"Well, well, well," He snickered. "Look at you now, mister Vampire prince. You're not going to be in the lap of luxury anymore, are you?"

Shizuka grinned, crossing her arms. "He can't talk with that thing on his mouth, dum-dum."

"Oh yeah."

Bakura reached forward and ripped the gag off of the teen's face. The smaller whinette cried sharply, hissing repeatedly in pain. He glared in loathing up at his captors, a low snarl emitting from his throat.

"Why the hell have you brought me here?" He spat.

"We need you as our captive," Bakura explained, untying the boy. Once Ryou's hands were free, he pulled them away, rubbing his bruised wrists. The older whinette smirked. "I can't tell you our exact plans, but know this much, little prince. You're going to be the key piece in our little game of chess against your kingdom. And with you under our control, we're going to wipe the floor with your people."

"What, are you going to use me to fight?" Ryou snarled. "I'll never help you bastards! I'll kill every one of you!"

Bakura laughed, straightening up. "We're not gonna make you fight, dumbass. You're our hostage. We're going to use you as blackmail for the king."

"Shh, Bakura!" Shizuka scolded. "Stop talking about the plan!"

Ryou's eyes widened. "The king? My father? You're…wait…you're gonna use me against him!" He stood up. "You'll tell him that you're going to kill me! He wouldn't be able to sacrifice his son, so he'll give into your demands! That's your plan, isn't it?"

Bakura chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "Woo, you catch on fast."

"You bastards! You leave my father alone!"

Shizuka and Bakura ignored the boy's shouts and threats and walked out of the room, locking the door behind them. As they left the dungeons, they started to chat between themselves.

"So is that cell really Vampire-proof?" Bakura asked.

"Oh yeah. Top enchantments on it and everything," Shizuka replied. "Vampires can't pass through that door."

The whinette raised an eyebrow. "Then how were we able to get him in the cell?"

"He's still human right now, remember? The cell isn't made to deflect humans."

Bakura grinned, patting her on the back. "Good job, guys. You really made that thing foolproof, huh?"

Shizuka smiled. "Oh yeah. Me and the Spells Department did everything we could think of. He won't even be able to scratch that door."

The whinette sighed happily, crossing his arms behind his back. He'd come back successfully from a mission that would've decided his entire future as a hunter. And he'd almost single-handedly captured one of the most powerful Vampires in the Aikuun kingdom. It made him proud to think he'd done such a good job.

However, a small bit of him felt sad. His beautiful prince would have to stay in that awfully decrepit room, away from his family and friends. And his father was going to be targeted by the same people who'd kidnapped him. The boy must have been miserable. And despite how much he'd tried to resist it, Ryou's sadness was pulling at his heart. It was all he could do not to go back and comfort the boy. His emotions just wouldn't allow that child to be upset.

"Bakura? You okay?" Shizuka asked.

"Huh? Oh, sure," Bakura replied dazedly. "I'm just fine."

Shizuka frowned at her leader. He looked almost…regretful. With a heavy sigh, she stepped ahead of him.

'_Poor Bakura,'_ She thought to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the solemn man. _'It must be hard having a crush on the enemy.'_

**Hoshi: Questions? Comments?**

**Kage: TELL US, DAMMIT!**

**Hoshi: *throws stickers on you people* Thanks so much for reading!**


	6. The Missing

**Hoshi: Again, here's the next chapter.**

**Kage: Keep in mind, we pulled the last three chapters out of our butts in the span of one night. I hope you guys at least don't hate it.**

**Hoshi: That much.**

**Both: Enjoy!**

"I am immensely proud of you, Bakura."

Harrun was standing in his office, facing his beaming son. His graying moustache had curled up into a hearty grin. With a heavy exhale of a deep breath, he placed his hands on his hips, surveying the look of pride on the teen's face.

"At only nineteen years old, capturing the prince of the Aikuun Vampire clan," He continued, sounding almost like he was bragging. "You didn't even lead the guards back behind you. Your skills, and the skills of your comrades, are clearly deserving of an A rank."

Bakura's eyes widened. "Wow! Thank you so much, father!"

The man laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "I should be thanking you, my boy! You've all but secured our victory against the Vampires. All we need to do now is send the ransom note to the king."

Kochi grinned, hugging her friend. "You're so lucky, Bakura!"

A warm feeling washed over the boy. He was getting everything he'd ever wanted. He was now an A-rank soldier, he'd completed an Elite mission…his father was even shaking him and praising him wildly for all this! Though his father had been affectionate towards him, Bakura had never felt that the man had much pride in his only son. It was good to see him so ready to gloat about his kid to the other leaders. He laughed from sheer joy, hugging Kochi back. This had to be one of the best moments of his life.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Meanwhile, back in the Aikuun kingdom, a few servants were starting to grow very worried.

"Master Ryou hasn't returned yet," One blurted. "He's been gone a long time. Do you suppose something happened?"

"He was only going to the bathroom," Another urged, trying to calm his friend.

The two looked back and forth uneasily between each other, not satisfied with just waiting around to see if the boy would return.

A third one spoke up. "Maybe we should go check on him, just in case."

The other two nodded, following the man out of the meeting hall. They darted down the carpeted hallways as a pack, eager to see if their master was alright. Black leather shoes padded quickly towards a large bathroom, carrying the men to their destination. At once, they all stopped. One of them gently knocked on the door.

"Ryou-sama?" He called.

The door slowly creaked open. Fearfully, the men glanced at each other before walking inside. A sharp gasp broke from each of them.

"Look! The window is broken!" One shouted.

"The furniture's a mess!" Another added.

"The toilet hasn't been flushed!"

"He must have been captured!"

"He must have been captured while using the toilet!"

They ran frantically around in circles, unsure of what to do. The arms of their black pressed suits were flailing in horror. Suddenly, one stopped, the other two crashing into him. He turned to his friends, a look of duty on his face.

"We must alert the king and queen!"

The other two nodded, determined. "Yes! Alert the king and queen!"

Another dash over the threshold of the door led them on a quest to find Ryou's parents. The servants ran as fast as they could up stairs and through corridors, their Vampire powers aiding them greatly. Within minutes, they had arrived outside a very beautiful and elegant door. They paused for a moment before knocking on the wood, their six fists pounding anxiously. A woman turned the handle, easing the door into the room. She blinked in confusion at the servants' urgency.

"What's going on?" She asked, tucking a lock of ivory hair behind her ear.

Their shout practically shook the castle. "The prince has been kidnapped!"

"What?"

"What?"

Another cry added to the woman's. Her husband rushed out of the room, standing in the doorway. He looked completely shocked and quite furious.

"What do you mean, my son has been captured?" He demanded.

The servants all struggled to talk at once, their voices covering each other's.

"He went to the bathroom!"

"He didn't come back!"

"We were worried!"

"So we went to check!"

"Windows broken!"

"Bottles spilled!"

"Toilet full!"

"Prince gone!" They cried in unison.

The king growled, clenching his fists. "I'll bet it was those accursed Hunters!" He snarled, stomping past the servants. "They're after my son while he's defenseless! Those cheating bastards!"

"Hanako, please calm down," The woman urged, running after him. "Getting mad isn't going to help. We need to think of a way to save him."

The man rounded on his wife. "How can I not be mad? A race of savages has captured my helpless, temporarily human son! I can't even imagine what sorts of horrible things they're doing to him right now!" He gripped the front of his hair, grinding his lower lip between his teeth. "That poor boy. I'll bet they plan to rape him. He's so young, after all, and so handsome. Or maybe they're trying to torture information out of him. He's a prince, he'd know things that would be helpful to them."

The woman gently took his hand. "Darling, I'm as furious about this as you are, but we need to be rational. If we get too angry our emotions will overshadow our common sense. If we ever want a hope of saving Ryou then we need to calm down and discuss a plan with the others."

"You're right, Miyaka," He sighed, looking down. "But what are we supposed to do? Even if we attacked them with our full forces, our castle would be vulnerable to other Vampire hunting clans. It's not like they wouldn't take advantage of that."

His wife softly pulled him towards the meeting hall, kissing him on the cheek. "We'll discuss that with the others, okay? C'mon, let's get to the conference room."

They disappeared from sight, the servants following rapidly behind them. Around the corner though, a small girl had been listening to the conversation. She had tears pouring down her cheeks, and her tiny fist clenched between her teeth. With a choked sob, she turned away, her back to her retreating parents. She mumbled to herself, guilt wracking her very frame.

"It's all my fault," She whimpered. "I told them where big brother was. Now he's gone, and he's gonna get hurt."

She cried loudly, retreating down another hallway. She darted across the floors, returning to her bedroom not far away. With a wail of sorrow, she slammed the glass door to her room, the fragile surface cracking with the force. A few pieces fell to the floor, making a light clinking sound. The child ignored it, running over to kick the chair in front of her vanity. Then she leapt onto her bed, sobbing into the pillow. Those people had seemed so nice. How was she supposed to know they were going to take her brother away?

XxXxXxXxXxX

"I have to get out of here," Ryou murmured, pacing the floors. "Mother and Father must be worried sick. I can't imagine what my siblings are going through. They must think I'm hurt. They might even think I'm dead."

The whinette sat down on the bed, gripping the sheets. There was no way he could stay in this prison. He needed to get out somehow. But the door was locked tight. It would have been impossible to knock it down with his pitiful human strength. And even when he regained his Vampire powers, he doubted he'd be able to escape. He'd heard the Hunters talking about enchantments on the door. If he even tried to stick his little finger over the threshold, he'd just end up hurting himself. Trembling, he grabbed his knees, pulling them up to his chest. He started to rock back and forth on the bed.

"I'm going to go mad in here," He told himself. "There's no way out. I'm gonna go completely nuts in this little tiny box. They'll have to put me in a straight jacket and feed me through a tube."

It might have been the overreacting that was a common trait of spoiled rich kids, but Ryou was not acting like himself. Genuine fear was gripping his heart. Even though he was pretending to be crazy and talking to no one, he was seriously concerned for his wellbeing. What if he did die? Would his little brother take his place as the heir to the throne? Would his father be so angry that he'd launch a full-scale attack on the Encorés kingdom? His father had always been a bit of a pacifist, but he was easily swayed by his emotions. If he was angry enough, he'd have the entire country leveled if he could. It was probably the only trait about him that made people skeptic of his abilities as a king. Ryou sighed, trying to drive the "what ifs" from his mind. He laid back on the bed, stretching out. With no clothes to cover them, his exposed privates felt cold and vulnerable. The teen sighed and rolled onto his stomach in an attempt to warm himself. The heat from his body pressing down was a bit of help. At least he was starting to regain the feeling down there anyway.

"My god, it's cold," He mumbled. His arms were crossed on his rock-like pillow, his head resting on this. "I'll probably get hypothermia if I don't get any clothes. Or at least a blanket."

He rolled onto his side, pulling his knees up. "Maybe the Hunters will bring me something to keep warm with."

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't just call for a servant to bring him a blanket. Now the teen had to wait. And even more unlucky, there was a good chance that he wasn't going to get something warm at all. Not even a napkin to cover up with. It was very irritating to a boy who had been pampered all his life. He definitely wasn't spoiled rotten, but he had grown rather accustomed to having anything he wanted at his fingertips.

Suddenly, the door opened. He immediately sat up, wondering who it might be. Bakura stepped into the room, a bundle in his arms. At the sight of one of his captors, the prince snarled.

"What?" He growled.

"Yeesh, you talk like I'm bursting in on you," Bakura chortled. "This isn't your bedroom, princess. I can come in whenever the hell I like."

"Well why did you come in?" Ryou replied, grinding his teeth.

The older whinette tossed him the bundle. Ryou unraveled the tangled fabric to reveal a green turtleneck and a pair of blue jeans. Thankful, he pulled the clothes on, reveling in the warmth they brought. He blinked up at the Hunter, not wanting his gratitude to show on his face.

"What, no socks? No underwear?"

Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Hey, I wasn't asked to bring you this stuff, queenie. You're lucky you can have clothes at all. If it were most of the girls' choice, you'd still be naked."

The older boy was pleased to see an uncomfortable blush spread across the prince's face. It seemed that his inability to hurt the teen had started to wear off once they began speaking to each other. The prince was…well, a bit of a snob. But that might have just been because he was angry. And frankly, Bakura couldn't blame him. If it were him that was captured, he would have threatened to fuck his kidnapper's eyes out and then strangle him to death with his own intestines. If he had the right to get angry, Ryou did too.

"Right. Uh…thanks, or whatever," Ryou grumbled.

A grin spread across Bakura's face. "You're welcome."

Ryou flopped back on his bed, crossing his arms on the pillow behind his head. He glared up at the moldy ceiling, imagining burning holes through the grime with his eyes. Even as a Vampire, he didn't have that power. If he could vaporize things with just a glance he would have killed Bakura a long time ago.

"So…yeah. I'm gonna go," Bakura blurted. He turned to leave, the prince not looking up at him.

"Hope the door hits your ass," Ryou spat, still staring at the ceiling.

Bakura rolled his eyes, closing and locking the door behind him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, stalking away from the creepy hallway. Despite how antagonistic he was being, it sort of bothered the teen that Ryou was so aggressive towards him. Sure, it was understandable, but disturbing, nonetheless. He _did_ want Ryou to like him. Even though he was determined not to allow affections for the prince, the creeping emotions would slide in between his pride and indifference. It was a complete act of charity that he had brought Ryou clothes. He didn't have to, and the prince's reaction would have made a normal person regret the gesture. But half of his brain wanted to go steal the clothes back, and the other half was wondering whether he should bring the boy socks as well. Bakura gripped his hair, sighing. Being a teenager was really confusing.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Finished."

Harrun dripped a bit of candle wax onto the folded envelope, stamping his seal into the hot liquid. It hardened immediately, sticking to the paper. The man grinned and stuffed the envelope into a container. He screwed the lid shut, walking out of the room.

"Just you wait, you gross little bloodsuckers," He mused. "Soon your king will be gone. And your kingdom will come crumbling to the ground. And we'll finally exterminate your horrible species!"

A cackling laugh echoed through the corridors. The king grinned, making his way out onto the balcony near his room. On the railing, a few birds of prey sat. They had the Encorés seal branded into their feathers, and a chain around each of their left ankles. Harrun selected the largest one, unshackling it. It obediently hopped around, turning its back to him. He slid the message container onto its body, pulling its wings through the straps like a backpack. Smiling, he stepped away, letting the bird adjust the container as it needed to.

"Take this to the Aikuun royal palace," He instructed. "Make sure the king gets it. The man with the long black hair."

The bird took off over the edge of the rail, spiraling down only to be lifted up on its outstretched wings. It soared in the direction of the distant castle, disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds. Harrun sighed, patting his rather large stomach absently. His eyes were gazing out at the landscape, sticking mostly to the land owned by the Vampires.

"Just wait, Hanako," He growled softly, speaking to no one. "I'll take you down if it kills me. I'm going to end you for what you did."

He softly stroked the head of another messenger bird. It shivered, its white feathers rippling. In that instant, it reminded him subtly of his wife.

"I'm going to avenge the life of my queen."

******Kage: Okay...maybe not the BEST way to end a chapter.**

**Hoshi: This stuff will all make sense later in the story.**

**Kage: But until we get to the point where we explain all this, we have a lot of writing space to fill.**

**Hoshi: So if you guys have ideas for the story...**

**Kage: Stuff you want to see...**

**Hoshi: People you want killed...**

**Kage: Or molested, for that matter...**

**Hoshi: Send us your ideas! You very well may be responsible for the next few chapters of Frozen in Flames!**

**Kage: So until next time, bye!**

**This fanfic was brough to you by Diet Dr. Pepper, Twix and Milky Way candy, and the Saftey Dance. Which I own none of.**


	7. The Error

**Hoshi: Yay! Chapter Seven!**

**Kage: No real introduction for now. Sorry about the delay, but we're working on Chapter Eight too!**

**Hoshi: Enjoy a drunken Bakura!**

XxXxXxXxXxX

Hanako was sprawled across the arms of his throne, his back pressing against the cold metal. His long black hair was draped in front of his eyes. It was odd for a king to behave so lazily, but he was depressed. Ryou had been captured by a clan of people who were ancestrally trained to kill his kind. At that moment, his poor son was probably starving in a prison cell. Or being tortured for information. He may be bleeding to death right now, and there was nothing he could do about it. Hanako felt helpless as both a king and a father.

"Love, you need to sit up." Miyaka's soft voice met his ears. She pressed a warm hand onto his shoulder and helped him into an upright position, looking worriedly into his eyes. "Please try not to let yourself get too upset. Maybe we can negotiate with the Hunters."

"That's probably why he was captured. If they're not interrogating him, they're going to use him for ransom. Those jackasses." He closed his eyes, whimpering softly in utter defeat.

The white-haired woman fought back a sniff, wanting to be strong for her husband. "Listen, Hanako. I'm not sure what they want, but the most important thing to worry about is Ryou's safety. And if ensuring that he makes it back to the castle alive and well means giving them every cent we own, that might be our only option."

"We can't do that, Miyaka!" The man shouted, glaring in frustration at her. Then he paused, turning away in shame at his outburst. "If we lose our money, we lose our funds. Our technology. Our _food_. The entire kingdom would fall to ashes in a month. Should we really weigh the safety of our own child above the children of so many citizens?"

Understanding, his wife took a seat on the floor next to him, prodding absently at the collar of her gown. She sighed deeply, resting her head on the arm of his throne. "Why don't we send them a letter and see if they have any demands? If it's something reasonable, then we can just make the trade. If not…well, we'd have to discuss that with everyone in the council."

"I guess that's our only choice for now," Hanako replied sadly. "If we bust in and confront them, they could very well kill him in front of our faces."

His wife took his hand, gently lifting him to his feet. "You need a break, love. Let's go take a hot bath, okay? Like we did when we first married. All the steam and warm lights should calm you down."

The king smiled, looking into her red eyes. It was times like this that he was most grateful for Miyaka's amazing perceptive abilities and ways of cheering him up. "Alright. Thank you."

A soft kiss was placed on his cheek as he was led out of the room. "You're welcome, darling."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Oh man, I feel awesome!" Bakura chortled, waving a half-filled shot glass above his head. "I could party forever!"

"Calm down, dude!" Jonouchi warned, grabbing his arm to steady him. A heavy bandage was on his nose, still working on healing the wound from his impact with the tower's face earlier that day. "You're underage. Your body probably isn't used to drinking this much whiskey at a time."

"No, you're out of it. I'm just fine!" The whinette replied, his speech rather slurred and his cheeks deeply flushed.

A woman named Mai touched his cheek, rather concerned. "Hon, how many glasses have you had?"

This was a difficult question for a Bakura, whose mind was blurred through a haze of alcohol. "Uh…let's see…I think seven. No wait, seven. Or eight. Something like that."

"That's too much for someone your size. This stuff is pretty potent," Mai said gently, an experienced drinker herself. "C'mon hon, I'll take you up to your room."

"No, no wait! Hold on!" Bakura giggled a little through his words. "No, dad told me to do something! I have something to do right now!"

"Um…what's that, Bakura?" Ryuji asked, keeping his tone slow so his drunken friend could follow his words.

The whinette leaned in as if he was sharing a secret, though his voice was quite loud. "I have…I have to go…tend to the prince! You know, I gotta make sure he's all warm and stuff, 'cause we need him in good shape for the king! Can't have him all frozen!"

Jonouchi and Mai looked back and forth between each other.

"Um…how about this," Jonouchi suggested. "Mai, you run up to the storage area and grab a couple of thick blankets. I'll take Bakura down to the prison ward and we can wait for you there."

The blonde nodded. "Okay. Cell six, right?"

"Yup. The super bolted one."

"Gotcha," Mai said, hopping up from her seat. "Meet you there."

Jonouchi's eyes followed her a little as she dashed off, but he managed to shake himself back to Earth rather quickly. "Uh, alright Bakura. Let's get you downstairs, okay?"

"But whyyyy?" Bakura whined. "It's (hiccup!) cold down there!"

Rather bodily, the blonde lifted his friend to his feet, forcing him to stand. The wobbly man struggled to keep posture, leaning a bit to the left. Unfortunately for Jonouchi, this was as upright as he was going to get in his utterly hammered state.

"Man, I don't know what Honda put in that stuff, but it's really strong, eh?" He asked rhetorically, nudging Bakura towards the door.

The whinette begrudgingly moved in the direction he was being pushed, not quite ready to leave his multitude of empty shot glasses. He looked over his shoulder at the stack of glass cups, an expression of longing in his eyes. He tried to voice his remorse through a ripple of hiccuping that broke out of his queasy stomach.

"Wait, (hiccup!) I wasn't done! We still gotta (hiccup) party!" He complained.

Jonouchi gave his arm a particularly hard tug, managing to get him over the threshold of the doorway. "C'mon Bakura. Don't you want to go take care of the prince, like your dad asked?"

"Oh, the prince!" Bakura slung himself forward, draping an arm over his comrade's shoulder. He had a rather perverse look on his face, as if he had an interesting and scandalous story to tell. "He's a pretty little bugger, (hiccup!) ain't he? Got the nicest eyes, and the cutest little ass! I'd 'take care of him' (hiccup!) all night if I could, neh?"

At this, the blonde man paused. "Um…you've had a _lot_ to drink, right Bakura?"

"Nah, not really. I always felt like this," The whinette giggled. "I wanted to (hiccup!) fuck him since I found him! Gave me a hard-on when I tackled him, yup! (hiccup!) Just ask yer sister! She _saaaaw_ it!"

A twinge of anger spiked Jonouchi's brain, but he chose to ignore it, a bit more focused on Bakura's ramblings about the Vampire prince. Gently, he pressed a hand into his shoulder, lifting him a bit so he could look at his face. "Should we really leave you down there with the prince, Bakura? I mean, I'd love to see that little brat humiliated and violated and the like, but we can't have you screwing our hostages. Doesn't look good on your record, you know? And you could get sick."

"No, no, I'll be fine!" Bakura managed to choke back a few hiccups after these slurry words. "I just wanna warm him up. I won't strip him or anything! He can just sit on my lap like a kitty or something!"

"I think you might want to leave this one to me," Jonouchi pressed.

The whinette suddenly glared at him. "You think I can't do it, don't you? I can handle this, damn it! I'll take care of the little guy! I won't hurt him!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down!" The blonde tugged him down the stairs to the basement. "Just try and restrain yourself a little, alright? I don't want to have to explain anything crazy that happens to you in the morning."

The noise made in response was mostly a slobbery whine of annoyance, mixed with the weak remains of hiccups. "I can handle this, dude. I got it. Fuck yeah, I got it."

Jonouchi opened the door to the catacombs of the lowest basement floor, six stories down. This was where the prisoners were kept. Well, the prisoners that were too dangerous to keep in the normal holds on the second basement level. The disheveled pair walked along the stone floors, each footstep magnified in the silence. Well, the silence aside from Bakura's hiccups and incoherent muttering.

"What if we get there and he's naked? (hiccup!) What if he tries to seduce me?" He chuckled mischievously, making a fist in front of him. "Ooh, that naughty boy! (hiccup!) He's gonna get a (hiccup!) spaaaaanking!"

"Um, leave the spanking to us, Bakura," Jonouchi replied slowly, leading around a corner.

Bakura's voice was shrill and whiny. "Nooo! I wanna do it!"

Suddenly, the two of them heard Mai calling to them from around the corner. "Up here, Jou! I've got a couple of blankets!"

"Thanks a lot!"

Jou tugged on Bakura's arm, the whinette suddenly deciding that he didn't want to walk. He dragged his feet dramatically, making weak retching motions among his slurred speech.

"Eeeyyeeehhh! Nooo! I wanna go play with the prince!" Bakura suddenly made a light burp and quickly covered his mouth. He coughed a little before laughing drunkenly and slapping Jou's back. "Aw, I just puked a little bit! S'okay, it went back down! I'm good!"

Mai winced, her cheeks adopting a slight green tint. "Keep a good hold on him, Katsuya. I've got the key in my hand right here. I don't want him throwing up all over the prison cell. I have to come down and do maintenance every once and a while and I don't want it smelling like that in here."

"Oh. Um, kay." The other blonde's face reddened a bit at the use of his first name. He glanced away, trying not to look too uncool. However, his suave-ness was pretty much killed by the presence of the slobbery, babbling drunk draped over his shoulder. Despite his somewhat close friendship with Bakura, the whinette was really starting to piss him off. He should know not to drink that much, right? Even if he'd never actually partied at a bar before, eight shots of Honda's toxic brew was obviously way too many. What a dumbass!

The clink of metal met their ears as Mai placed the key in the lock and turned it. Instead of opening, the door glowed a bright blue, illuminating the dank stone cavern that they stood in. The blankets in her arm were haphazardly tossed aside for a moment. She inhaled deeply, placing her palms on the solid surface of the door. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated, the two men behind her (even Bakura) remaining completely silent. Deep violet waves spread out from where her flesh touched the steel, gradually morphing the light that filled the tunnel. Her eyes perfectly matched the glow as she opened them again.

"'Spell Unseal, Act of Maintenance'," She said softly, her voice echoing through the dead silence. "'A sliver of time, a sliver of life, I allow this barrier's collapse.'"

Suddenly, much to the boy's shock, the door dissolved in front of them, leaving nothing but the dark threshold into Ryou's cell. The seemingly levitating key fizzled into nothingness. Mai exhaled, standing up straight again. At the looks on Jou and Bakura's faces, she giggled, biting her lip playfully.

"I had to learn a little magic to be part of the lower sects that tend to the prisoners and such. It's just a goofy incantation that the king wrote up, but it keeps idiots from dashing in and out of the cells all willy-nilly." She flipped her long hair, picking up her discarded blankets.

Jou was dumbstruck, apparently completely unaware that his friend was capable of magic this whole time. "You've been studying Spellcasting? But I thought you wanted to be a Hunter like us!"

"Hey, this us just to build up my community service hours! I can't get promoted until I've got at least 80, so this isn't a problem." Her foot tapped impatiently on the hard ground. "Now hurry up. This spell only lasts for five minutes. I can't open it after that without the help of another Spellcaster. If we're not out when the time's up, we're stuck in there too."

The man nodded, leaning towards the cell's entrance. He was about to step through the doorway, but seemed to just realize that absolutely no light was radiating from it. "That's odd. The oil lamp in there must have burnt out."

"Let's go! I wanna see the prince!" Bakura cheered, wobbling forward. He staggered to the shadowed threshold of the cell, catching himself on the doorway as he started to fall. Lacking any sort of stealth, he called out, "Oh Ryyyyyyyou-chaaaan! Where aaaaare yooooou?"

A pitiful hiss came from the darkness of the chambers. The three hunters peered into the inky blackness at the sound, searching for its source. Through the dark, a pair of glimmering brown eyes appeared. They glowed with an unnaturally vivid light that struck the slightest bit of terror into everyone's heart. Well, almost everyone. Bakura was, at this point, far too hammered to even understand the concept of fear. If he got to see his adorable little prince, then something as stupid as fear wasn't going to get in his way of proceeding into that cell.

"There you are!" He stumbled into black nothingness, giggling with no terror in his voice. "Ryou? I see you! How about a hug, little guy? We brought you blankets!"

The soft, demonic purr of the prince's voice met the whinette's ears, sending chills up his spine. "Don't insult me. If you've brought something, leave it and get out."

"Now that's no way to talk!" Bakura snorted, pulling a matchbook out of his pocket. He tried to strike one, but dropped it on the floor. Wheezing with giddy laughter, he fumbled through the dark for another, this time succeeding in igniting it. The tiny flicker of the flame lit the caliginous room, allowing Bakura to see around him. To his left, the prince glowered up at him, looking particularly sinister in the low light. As the hunter turned to him, his gaunt face was thrown into greater relief, the stressed shadows under his eyes more visible. It seemed as though he hadn't slept in years.

Ryou was seated on his grimy bed, his elbows resting on his frigid knees. "So what decided to slither into my meager cell this evening, hm?" He spat on Bakura's shirt. "A gleefully slobbering drunk? How disgusting. You'll make this slime of a place seem even filthier. Why don't you just get out of my sight and let me freeze to death in peace?"

Jou turned around to leave, but paused as he noticed that Bakura didn't follow suit. The whinette teetered over to the oil lamp and placed the match against its wick, re-lighting it. The room now held an eerie glow, distorted through the filthy glass. He dropped the match to the floor and stamped out the flames it bared. Then he walked up to Ryou, plopping carelessly onto the bed beside him.

"Now, now, why would I want you to freeze to death? That's not nice!" Bakura giggled, wrapping an arm around Ryou's waist. It was quickly swatted away.

"How dare you touch me!" The Vampire huffed, glaring at him.

Bakura leaned against his shoulder, breathing heavily into his pale face. The thick smell of alcohol and party food struck him hard enough to make his eyes water. He struggled to push the tipsy man away, but his weight and Ryou's lack of strength in his weakened state were not enough to shove him. He simply snarled as Bakura's strong arms wrapped around his middle, pulling him into a hug.

"Look at you! So cute when you're angry!" The older male nuzzled into his neck, grinning into the velvety flesh. "You need to take a chill-pill, fella, or you're gonna bust an artery!"

Ryou turned his head, staring with exasperation at Mai and Jonouchi, who were still just watching from the doorway. They shrugged in response, also annoyed with the drunken man but unsure of what to do. The whinette was about to speak up, but he felt a wet sensation against his neck. He yelped indignantly as he looked down at Bakura.

The hunter glanced back up, his tongue pressed against Ryou's pale throat. "Whath? Ith lookth tashtey!"

His head was roughly grabbed and forced away, sending him falling back to the floor. The drunken man laughed, rolling around in the filth and muck that stained the tiles. Ryou growled and got to his feet, kicking Bakura hard in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him, but he was still smiling as he looked up at the Vampire.

"Ooh! Look at you, mister feisty!"

Jou was laughing at the stuffily angry prince, nudging Mai in the side. "Hey, I'll bet you fifty bucks that Bakura spanks his ass!"

"Oh, no way! You know he will!" Mai chortled in response, also enjoying herself.

"We should get him drunk a little more often, eh?" Jou chuckled.

Mai nodded, smiling with amusement. However, her look of mirth quickly faded. Around the two of them, the steel frame of the doorway began to glow a bright blue. She gasped, grabbing Jou by the arm and pulling him away.

"Bakura! The door!" She shouted.

The whinette looked up from the floor, still being kicked repeatedly. "What?"

Jou caught on immediately, starting to panic. "The door, it's closing!"

"What, it is? Why do I care?" Bakura's words were still as slurred and cheerful as ever.

Mai slapped herself in the face. "Hurry! Get out of there!"

Ryou, also understanding the situation, quickly moved behind Bakura and swiftly drove his foot into his side, putting as much force into the blow as he could. The muscled whinette rolled towards the exit quickly, choking as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. But as he met the doorway, the blue glow disappeared, and the steel refilled the open space. Bakura's face smashed into the hard metal, bruising his flesh and forcing blood to gush from his nose. Just a split second too late.

Even through Bakura's haze of both alcohol and a blow to the head, all four of them suddenly realized what had just happened. The doorway had closed. Mai couldn't reopen it without another key, as the spell of the door had swallowed hers up. For the time being, the door was completely sealed. No way in, no way out.

On one side, Jou and Mai were gaping in horror at the wall of steel before them.

On the other, Ryou was completely trapped and alone with a drunk, love-struck Bakura.

Mai glanced at Jou, and he glanced back. A soft utterance of "Oh shit" was all the comment that the two of them could muster.

XxXxXxXxXxX

**Kage: Yay alcohol!**

**Hoshi: Prepare for the next chapter as it approaches on the horizon! **

**Kage: AND REVIEW, DAMN YOU! WE LOOOOOOOOVE IT!**


	8. The Contact

**Hoshi: Yay! Two chapters in one month!**

**Kage: Your reviews are so inspiring! We've even started chapter nine already!**

**Hoshi: Hear that? Keep reviewing and the story will be updated!**

**Kage: Probably... -hugs you all- Thanks so much!**

**Both: Enjoy!**

Mai quickly tugged on Jou's arm, looking frantic. "We have to go get another Spellcaster! We can't just leave Bakura alone in there when he's drunk! He'll rape the captive!"

"Let's go find Isis. She leads the Spells department, doesn't she?" Jou suggested.

"Yeah, she's way up there. And she's not the type to go drinking on a Saturday night." The blonde woman broke into a sudden run, nearly dragging her friend behind her. "C'mon! There isn't much time!"

The two of them bolted up the stone stairs, hurrying out of the dungeons as fast as they could. If Bakura was left alone too long…well, they didn't want to think about that. They just hoped that there wouldn't be any new mess to add to the already layered grime of the disgusting cell.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Much to everyone's general surprise, (if they were aware of what was happening, like the readers) Bakura was not attempting to force himself on the Vampire prince. On the contrary: he was still lying on the floor, listening to the boy shout with indignity.

"Great! Just bloody fantastic!" Ryou stomped about the dimly lit room, waving his arms in strong frustration at the circumstances. "Now not only am I stuck in this disgusting ice box of a cell, but now I have to share it with you!" A sharp kick was dealt to Bakura's slightly bloody face, making his nose gush even more. "You repulsive little slug! Why the hell did you have to get shit-faced before you decided to drop by for a visit? You colossal dumbass! I'd rip you to bits right now if my powers weren't hindered by this damn magic cell!"

Bakura struggled into a sitting position, wiping the crimson sludge off his face. He glared up at the prince despite the alcohol still buzzing through his lightened head. "You know, you're being awfully bitchy for a prisoner. I brought you blankets and everything!" He got to his feet, wobbling but wearing a confidently irritated look. "How do you know that I'm not gonna beat the shit out of you, huh? How do you know you're not gonna get whipped and burned for your insolence? Why the hell are you sticking your neck out like a spoiled kid? Aren't you afraid that someone's gonna cut off your head?"

Ryou swallowed, backing up a bit. "I…I'm just…frustrated."

"Hm?" Bakura's eyebrow arced up a bit.

"Well, I'm away from my home in an enemy prison, being treated like vermin! My family's worried about me! Me, the prince! The oldest son…!" His voice faltered a bit. "I've got a duty to my kingdom. I…I was supposed to take the throne ten days after my seventeenth birthday. That's why they made such a big fuss about it. It's a coronation too. I'm meant to lead my people through trouble and peril. I'm meant to be an icon of justice! But…now…I'm here. In a cage like an animal." He fought back the temptation to sniff, hoping not to show weakness. "I was captured effortlessly. And now I'm putting my entire kingdom in jeopardy, all because I was too stupid to let a guard accompany me to the bathroom."

A sharp pang of pity hit Bakura at the prince's solemn words. "H-hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's not really your fault – "

"It is my fault!" Ryou snapped back at him, his eyes wide with anger. "Don't you get it? I had to be a spoiled little brat and go off on my own, even with all the warnings I had been given! I couldn't let anyone follow me, that would make me seem weak!" His voice became high and shrill in a mockery of his own words and thoughts. "'Oh, I'll be just fine! I don't need anyone to accompany me! Why would I want anyone looking at my naked body like that? How indecent! I'm a prince! No one should look at a _prince_ like that! I'm invincible! I'm amazing!' I'm a fucking idiot!"

He punched his rock-like pillow with all the strength he could muster, leaving a dismal indent in the surface. Bakura stared at him, the fog of the alcohol starting to clear a little bit. Perhaps his healthy build as a Hunter was making the toxins flow through his body more quickly than he'd expected. At least he was able to form more coherent thought now. He watched the prince beat his pillow, fighting back the urge to sob but failing. The look in his face was wild and depraved. He held none of the graceful, angelic beauty of the boy that Bakura had first witnessed strolling through the Aikuun castle. But he was no less lovely. In fact, Bakura was beginning to think that this side of Ryou was more attractive. Not that he had a thing for deranged, hysterically crying lunatics, it was more that it exposed the imperfect side of the boy. He realized that he'd done something idiotic and careless, and felt regret for it. The vampire hated himself for it. To have that wonderfully normal aspect about him…_self-awareness_. That was it. He wasn't a sheltered little flower with no flaws or broken seams. He was a genuine person deep down. One that did childish things, like sneer stupidly at his captors, or slump into his bed weeping after he'd grown tired of beating his dirty pillow. It made him relatable. It made him real.

"Calm down, kid," Bakura said softly, cautiously moving to sit next to him on the bed. He clumsily pat the boy's back, still tipsy but trying to be comforting. "I know how you feel. You think you're stupid, right? Is that 'cause you don't think you're good enough to lead your kingdom?"

The smaller whinette glared up with utter shock at Bakura's words. He was speechless, choosing to simply stare at the man.

"Yeah, I have that too," The Hunter continued, sounding earnest despite his somewhat slurry words. "You know, I'm supposed to take over after my father passes the throne to me too. Weird, huh? 'Cept unlike you, I don't automatically get to take over. My dad's gotta decide if I'm good enough to lead everyone or not. And believe it or not, he doesn't have a lot of faith in me." Now he sounded glum, reflecting the prince's dreary mood. "He's always going on about, 'Oh, Bakura's gotta train extra hard if he wants to pass!' or, 'I'm not sure if he's good enough to do this' and 'Oh no, he's definitely not smart enough to do that'." He turned away from the prince, his voice rather gravelly with depression. "You'd think he'd be more proud of me, after all I've done. I'm top of all my Battle, Stealth and Weaponry classes, and I'm still getting really good marks in my History and Mathematics. I suck at Supernatural Studies, but I still am at least in the top ten in that one. I do everything my dad asks of me. I've tried to meet his expectations to the best of my abilities. I think what he's really disappointed in is how free and wild I can get. I think he wanted an powerful, perfect son that would rule flawlessly when he's dead and gone." He laughed a bit, turning to look back into Ryou's wide brown eyes. "You know, as much as you probably hate it here, capturing you was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, my dad told me he was proud of me. He patted me on the back and everything. You have no idea how good that made me feel. He's never done anything like that before."

Ryou moved slowly into a hunched sitting position on the edge of the bed next to Bakura. He cleared his throat softly. "I guess it's kind of nice that you understand me. Though I'd much rather have my freedom than have you get your father's respect."

Bakura easily caught the snarl in his voice. He sighed, slumping further forward. "You know, that's the one thing I really hate about this. You gotta be all cramped up in this damn cell." A small burp escaped his lips as his tone lowered, thick with remorse. "I know you're kind of a dick, but that's not your fault. I'd be even worse if I was locked up like this. If I were you, I'd have killed me with my bare hands by now. Even if you are kinda human 'cause the cell's repressing your powers, you could at least do a little damage. Are you scared to hurt me or something? Are you worried that you'll get hurt?"

"No, I'm not scared," Ryou replied snippily, crossing his arms. "And I'm not all that concerned about my physical safety. Even in this state, none of you can kill me. Repressed or not, I'm still a Vampire, and my immortality stands. Besides, I'm used to pain. Princes fight in wars just like everyone else. I've had my fair share of scars." He glanced over at the other whinette, his lower lip slightly puffed in a childish pout. "And for your information, I have been lashing out at you guys. A man with a black ponytail and green eyes was going to take away the clothes you gave me since they're castle property, but I beat him off me. Gave him a nosebleed and a black eye."

"Oh, that's what happened to Ryuji?" Bakura burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "His face is all yellow and purple now, but he wouldn't say a word! I'll bet he's embarrassed that he got beat up by a pansy-ass like you!"

Despite the insult, Ryou couldn't fight back a small smile. "Hey, I'm clearly not a pansy-ass! I punched him in the jaw so fast that he didn't even have time to spit out his broken teeth! You should have seen his stupid face! He looked like someone had beat him with a frying pan!"

The two laughed a bit, the buzz in Bakura's head wearing off steadily. He grinned at the prince, now rather amused. "If you're so tough, how come you haven't beaten me yet? You've had plenty of opportunities to. And if you could break Ryuji's nose with just your fist, how come you didn't do more than scuff me up a little when you were kicking me?"

An awkward pause followed his question. Ryou turned away as he spoke, considering his words. "Perhaps you're just stronger. But really…I don't want to hurt you as badly as I thought I did. I mean, you're an obnoxious pain in the ass, and you're the enemy, but you were at least sort of nice to me. You brought me clothes, and blankets. I guess…maybe I thought you weren't…quite as brutish as the others were. You'd at least proven yourself to be generous."

"Well thanks. That actually means a lot," Bakura admitted.

Ryou's response came with no hesitation. "But don't think that means I like you. Don't even think that means I tolerate you. I still loathe you from the bottom of my heart. All of you. And as soon as I get the chance, I'll kill every one of you without batting an eyelash."

A strong hand lightly patted against his back as a smile spread across Bakura's face. "Don't blame you a bit, dude. I'd kill all of your little Vampire friends if I got the chance. And I'd enjoy every second of it."

"Would you kill me?"

Bakura's eyes widened as Ryou raised his brow inquisitively. He swallowed, opening his mouth to speak but closing it a split second later. So badly he wanted to say, "Of course, I'd kill any Vampire", but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come. He swallowed hard, turning completely so that his back was to the whinette. This was so much harder to do under the influence of alcohol! Due to his desire not to lie and his still fuzzy brain, he decided to reply with the honest answer.

"No…I guess I couldn't." His inflection was almost sheepish.

Ryou blinked in confusion. "Why not? I'm a Vampire, aren't I?"

"I…I just…" He fought for an explanation, deeply denying the possibility that he had a crush on Ryou. That would be absolutely unacceptable, even if it was true in the darkest recesses of his heart. Ryou was the enemy. Ryou wasn't of age. Ryou was a boy. No affections were to be had for such a person, despite how beautiful they were.

And _oh,_ how beautiful he was starting to look in this low light. The stress of forcing himself to think so quickly was starting to revive his alcohol buzz, along with the drunken sparks of lust that were beginning to flicker warmly around his groin.

"Well?" The Vampire blurted, looking impatient. "Why couldn't you kill me? I want to know why."

Ah, that twinge of darkness in those chocolate brown eyes. How badly it enticed the poor Hunter! That spellbinding gaze ensnared his own, leaving him speechless. Why did he suddenly look so attractive? Was it because of the alcohol? Because they had just been laughing together? It was true, the prince's cheeks looked lovelier with a tint of pink to them. Bakura swallowed hard, trying to divert his eyes from Ryou's. However, his stare simply met the ivory locks falling perfectly around the boy's face. How silky that hair looked…and so clean, despite his current living conditions. His eyes darted away again, down to his lips. His soft, plump, peach-colored lips. A terrible urge was bubbling up inside the older man, and he fought desperately to keep it down.

Unable to stop himself though, his eyes continued to follow those lips as they formed into words. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Do you not know why you can't kill me? Or are you just stupid?" To Bakura's horror, the tone in the whinette's voice was not insulting, but teasing. "To dumb to think of the words? Have you only got the brains to sit there and drool like a zombie?"

Unintentional though it surely was, Ryou came off playful enough to further ignite the lustful fire quietly brewing in the depths of the man's belly. Bakura dug his nails into the mattress, biting into his lip as Ryou chuckled at his own joke. What a cute little laugh…what a cute little Vampire! With his will weakened by alcohol and his suppressed but still strong desire for Ryou, he was left on the verge of losing his self-control.

"Ryou, I just…" The words still refused to come.

A rather impish smirk spread across the boy's pale face, the tone in his voice taunting. "Oh, you're using my first name now? How affectionate of you."

Bakura reached forward before he could stop himself, gently cupping the whinette's cheek. Ryou's snarky demeanor immediately dropped to a confused and somewhat frightened one. He shakily glanced at the hand placed on his flesh, feeling the thumb gently stroking his velvet skin.

"Bakura," He said slowly. "Remove your hand."

The boy was ignored. Instead of pulling away, Bakura placed another hand on the Vampire's waist, loving the elegant bend of his back. He purred throatily, the sound barely audible. Ryou's acute hearing caught the sound, and his eyes widened.

"Hey, get off of me! Let go right now!"

His shouting was ignored by Bakura, who replied in a whisper, "I hate you, right? I hate you."

Then suddenly, he moved forward, swiftly pressing his lips to the teen's. His eyes were tightly closed and his cheeks flushed, but his touch remained soft and light. He stroked the boy's jaw and back, deepening the kiss by pulling him closer. Ryou squirmed in his grip, shocked and terrified. Bakura was far too strong to even wiggle away from. The smaller boy simply whimpered, not submitting but unable to put up a fight. After a moment, Bakura pulled away, panting quietly. His eyes were half-lidded, but they quickly widened as realization struck him. He'd just kissed the prince. For at least ten seconds, his and Ryou's lips had been locked together in a blissfully still dance. A pathetic squeak escaped him as he slowly pulled away from the teen, his face crimson with mortification. He swallowed hard, turning away from the Vampire's dumbstruck face.

"I've uh…I've had…a lot to drink," He said quietly.

Ryou nodded, unable to wrap his brain around what had just happened. That disgusting, blithering oaf of a Hunter had just _kissed_ him! He'd been forcefully grabbed and kissed, against his will! If he was mad a Bakura before, he would surely be furious now…right? He hated Bakura! He probably hated him more than any of the other lowly humans that were holding him captive! That kiss was repulsive. It was a disgrace to him and a massive violation of his personal space. Not to mention a deep slash in the small sliver of trust that he was starting to develop for the whinette.

But as he turned away, facing the wall, incapable of speaking to the man, Ryou felt a horribly sick sensation in his stomach. As much as he'd hated to admit it, there was something that was not entirely wrong about that kiss. It was his first, yes, and it was crudely stolen from him, yes…but had it been all that terrible?

Ryou ran his small pink tongue over his tender lips, acting thoughtlessly. The flavor of Bakura's rough, booze-stained kiss was still present there. And though he'd rather die a thousand painful deaths than admit it to even himself, something about the taste excited him.

**Kage: ...I hate to pat my own writing on the back but...was I the only one that just got a boner?**

**Hoshi: -smacks- Kage! That's inappropriate! And you're a girl!**

**Kage: Oh, shut up. You know you were thinking it too.**

**Hoshi: -awkward silence-**

**Kage: Anyway, review! We love it when you guys do that!**

**Hoshi: Yeah! Yeah! -tosses cookies to the audience- Thanks so much!**

**Both: WE LOVE YOU ALL!**


	9. The Stained

**PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!**

**This story, as you might know, is several years old. Since I've been writing this for a while, and improving on my skills, I realize that there's a gap between the first few chapters and the most recent ones. After re-reading the first...three, I've decided that I didn't care for them. I'll either re-write them, edit them, or leave them as is, depending on your opinions. If no one offers anything, I'll just rewrite them entirely. Please say something if you care about the first three chapters!**

**ANYWAY...**

**Hoshi: Sorry about the delay! Please enjoy the next chapter!**

Jonouchi, Mai and Isis stood outside the door, waiting for the latter of the three to start casting her spell. The Egyptian sighed, rubbing her hands together.

"I'm sorry, this may take a moment. It seems that those damn brothers of mine spiked my lemonade without my knowing it." Her voice was rather menacing towards the two mentioned boys.

Jou chuckled nervously. "Well, good thing you only had a little. You should be just fine."

Mai smiled. "Yeah, and thanks for coming down here to help. There's no telling what might have happened if we couldn't reopen the door in time."

"In time for what?" Isis wondered, blinking.

"Uh…" Jou glanced away, scratching the back of his head worriedly. "Well, Bakura's in there, remember? Let's just say that drunk Bakura plus helpless Vampire prince probably doesn't amount to anything moral."

Isis nodded, her eyebrow twitching. "I see. Then let's hope we don't stumble upon anything unsavory." She placed her hands on the door, peering over her shoulder at the two. Her tone was now cheerful. "Shall we?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Bakura fidgeted on the edge of the bed, uncomfortable with the silence and lack of eye contact. "Um…R-Ryou?"

The whinette's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Don't call me by my name."

In response, Bakura swallowed quietly. "I'm sorry. I…I don't know what came over me."

"Bakura. When you captured me, you suddenly got an erection. I thought it was because I was naked and that you were attracted to me, but you mentioned the pheromone perfume and I believed your lie. Now I feel like an idiot for falling for something so blatantly untrue." Ryou's tone was curt and spiteful, but not entirely towards Bakura. The deep-held loathing he had for himself was steadily mounting as he spoke. "I was afraid of being locked in a room with you because I thought you'd hurt me. It barely crossed my mind…that you'd try something like that."

The Hunter struggled to fix his mistake, looking the younger boy in the eye. "I swear Ryou, I wasn't planning on – "

"Don't call me that!"

There was a very awkward pause after Ryou's outburst in which Bakura could feel icicles forming in his own heart. He cleared his throat to break the tension slightly. "I never meant to do something like that. I wasn't going to hurt you. I couldn't. But, I just…the alcohol…I don't often drink, maybe that…no, that's such a chicken-shit excuse…"

Ryou glanced over at him, still quite livid and repulsed. "The point is that you did it. Reasons don't matter to me."

"At least I stopped at a kiss," Bakura muttered, turning away. His face reddened a bit. "I stopped because I was shocked at myself for even kissing you in the first place. I could have gone farther. Hell, I could have pinned you to the bed and raped you if I wanted to. You're definitely weaker than me. But I didn't. I just kissed you, and even after that, I feel terrible. And disgusting."

The Vampire sighed. "You make a good point." He pulled absently at the fraying lining of the mattress, staring down at it. Another silence followed his words.

Bakura gnawed at his lower lip, his stomach bubbling unpleasantly. "W-well…I'm really, really sorry, if that makes any difference. I wish you'd punch me or something. That'd make me feel better."

"You won't have the privilege of having my skin touch yours," Ryou growled softly. "Just stop talking. You're making this more awkward by the second."

The hunter nodded, glancing at the door to the cell, the shape a bit distorted. Booze was ever-present in his mind, blurring the world around him even now. "I think they're getting someone to open the door and let us out. It won't be much longer."

"They're coming to let _you_ out," The younger spat, digging his nails into his jeans. "I'm still a prisoner, remember? I don't get let out until you kill my father, if I'm lucky enough to leave at all."

Bakura bit hard into his lip, wishing he'd never spoken. He decided to heed the prince's advice and stop trying to strike up a conversation. The thought crossed his mind that he almost regretted having so little to drink. If he had been completely slammed when he'd come to the cell, he probably wouldn't even remember what had happened. Then again, being so drunk, he may have done much worse than kiss the teen. He sighed heavily, kicking his feet against the grimy floor of the cell. The silence was nearly painful, but he couldn't think of anything to utter that wouldn't further agitate the prince.

Suddenly, the door on the other side of the room began glowing bright blue, flooding the dim room with an eerie light. The shade was quickly overtaken by a deep violet as Isis stood outside the room, softly voicing the incantation to remove the steel barrier. Neither whinette could hear past the walls, but they stared, somewhat transfixed, as the metal fizzled away, opening the room out into the hall. Isis stood before them with her hands spread in front of her, Jonouchi and Mai behind her. The latter two seemed surprised to see them just sitting on the bed, not even touching each other. Jonouchi cleared his throat, stepping forward a bit.

"Um, Bakura? Time to go, buddy," He said slowly.

The hunter nodded, shakily getting to his feet. He chanced a look over his shoulder at Ryou, but the prince was turned away, unwilling to meet his eye. Bakura sighed, resigning to walking wordlessly out of the room. Once he was out, Isis placed one hand on either side of the doorway and brought them together in front of her chest. The door reformed, sealing the room shut once more. Ryou glanced up from his seat on the bed, aware that he was now alone again.

"Good riddance," He murmured, stretching out to lie on his icy mattress.

Outside, Mai was glaring at Bakura, her hands on her hips. "Okay, what the hell did you do to him? Come on, fess up!"

"Nothing," Bakura replied. His voice was surprisingly honest.

"Nothing?" The blonde man repeated.

"Nope."

"Well, that's excellent then," Isis blurted, stepping briskly past the three. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my room now. I don't want to get mixed up in any more of your antics this evening, if I can help it."

They watched her retreat up the stairs, not exchanging a word as she disappeared from sight. A long moment passed as they stood, unmoving, simply facing the point where she had left them. Mai cleared her throat uncomfortably, patting Bakura's shoulder.

"Well, I think it's time you went up to bed, isn't it?" She chuckled.

"Uh, yeah. The alcohol's not…not settling well," Bakura murmured. He allowed Jou to wrap an arm under his, helping him walk towards the staircase. Not another word passed from his chapped lips as he made his way up the six flights to the main hall. He just listened dumbly to the conversation Jou and Mai struggled to keep going. They chatted about how Honda must have put rat poison in his drinks, or some other toxic substance. Bakura paid little attention. He felt somehow numb now. He had left the prince alone again, more disgruntled and uncomfortable and worried than he'd ever been. Would he cry again, now that he was alone? Would he fall asleep tonight exhausted, tears streaking his beautiful face? Would he even sleep, or would he be too disgusted to even let his dreams take him? Bakura coughed softly, staring at nothing as he let his friends lead him towards his room. He didn't want to go to bed necessarily, but he definitely didn't want to go back to the party. Maybe a shower would at least settle his stomach a little. As Jou walked him into his room, he turned to head into the bathroom, but was stopped by Mai.

"Woah there, fella," She said gently. "We can't have you passing out in there, Bakura. You could drown. I think it's best if you just go to sleep."

"But - !"

"Just get into bed, man," Jou snapped. "C'mon, into some night clothes. We'll leave you to it, but if I hear that water turn on I'll come back here and kick your drunken ass. Got it?"

Defeated, Bakura nodded, stepping over to his closet. Mai closed the door behind them as they walked out, looking over at Jou once they were out of sight.

"Do you think something happened?" She asked quietly.

Jou sighed. "'Course something happened. But I don't want to bug him about it now. Let's let him sober up a little before we start interrogating the poor guy."

Mai nodded. "Okay. I hope he falls asleep without throwing up."

The two of them headed off, leaving Bakura by himself in his uncomfortably spacious room. He had stripped down to his boxers and was holding a nightshirt in one hand. However, as he looked down at it, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion swept through him. He dropped the clean shirt on the floor and flopped on his bed, not even bothering to cover himself. Sleep came to him in a swift dark blur, whisking him to a dreamless, emotionless void until morning came again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

On the other hand, Ryou did not experience such blissfully empty sleep. Once his mind had finally settled enough for him to drift off, his head was wracked with terrible, immoral thoughts. Well, immoral by his standards. He was back in his own palace, sprawled out on his beautiful four-poster bed once more. On the cot in his cell, he sighed happily, unknowing of the dangers that approached him in his dreams.

"_Ah, so nice to be back home!" He sighed to himself, aware that he was talking to no one. "Back in my big, soft bed, in my nice clean room!" He rolled on the sheets, giggling gleefully. A pleasant familiarity was found in the plush surface of his sheets as they were pushed down by his giddily flailing limbs. It was peaceful and silent in the lavish room, except for Ryou's delighted laughter._

"_Hello? Ryou?" _

_A voice was suddenly heard outside his stained glass door. The vampire didn't sit up, but waved to whoever was standing on the other side. "Come in, come in!"_

_The creaking of the handle met his ears as the guest stepped onto the fine carpet, not in his line of sight. They gracefully approached his bed, plopping down behind him._

"_Glad to see you so happy again," The stranger said cheerfully. Ryou somehow knew the voice, but couldn't place its owner. "That sad, frustrated look you wore just doesn't suit you."_

_The whinette turned over, giggling. "Want to see me even happier?"_

_He still couldn't see who was speaking, but felt not an ounce of fear as they replied. "Of course."_

"_Then how about a kiss?"_

_Ryou grinned at the way the stranger fidgeted, knowing that they were probably blushing. "Aw, don't mind if I do. I can't resist such a cute little prince, can I?"_

_A shadow loomed over the teen as he felt his guest climb onto him, one knee on either side of his legs and one hand on either side of his head. One of those strong, distinctive hands cupped his cheek, and the other slid under him to press against his waist. Ryou smiled as he was lifted up, and gladly met the lips of the man holding him. His eyes were about to slide shut, but a strand of the stranger's hair fell into his face. And he noticed, as the stranger opened a pair of ruby eyes, that the hair was white._

_White hair._

_Red eyes._

_Bakura._

_Bakura was kissing him!_

"AAH!"

Ryou fell right out of his bed and onto the stone floor of his cell, gasping for breath. He whimpered as the hard ground collided with his spine, pain jolting through his body. A harsh snarl ripped from his throat as he sat up, glaring with utter loathing at everything around him.

"Damn it! That stupid drunk! That perverted dick!"

He struggled to his feet, sitting back on his mattress. His chest heaved slightly, shifting the sweaty ivory hair that clung to his neck. This couldn't be happening! He'd had a dream about Bakura! The disgusting drunken slob of a human that had forced himself on him! Ryou gripped the edge of the bed, his eyes wide. He panted softly, staring at the filthy ground below him. His thoughts were racing through his throbbing skull, though very few of them were coherent. Blurred by fatigue, he couldn't make out most of the things buzzing around his mind, but frankly, he didn't much care to. All he wanted to do was ignore everything, even his own mental dwellings, and just fall back asleep. But he simply couldn't allow it if, when he drifted off, he found himself in Bakura's arms again. The very idea made him ill. He sighed heavily, rolling around to sprawl out on his back again. Sweat rolled down his pale forehead, sticking to his brow. What a nuisance this stupid hunter was turning out to be.

"Just ignore him. Don't think about anything," He muttered to himself, his eyelids sliding down to cover his slightly depraved, chocolate brown eyes. "Or think about killing him. Think about ripping out his intestines, or snapping his greasy little neck. Think about tearing out his hair and gagging him with it. Something, _anything…_"

For a moment, his breathing slowed, and his heart rate regulated. The cold sweat that soaked his clothes stopped bothering him as he felt his body start to lose feeling. He smiled a bit to himself, gory and violent thoughts about the man quelling the frightening inklings of affection that his dreams were trying to impress upon him. Soft humming floated from his bitten lips as he settled back into his mattress.

"Slit his throat…crush his skull…" He sang softly, pulling one of the warm blankets up over his chilly body. "Twist his fingers till they break…gouge his innards…smash his spine…drown him in a toxic lake…"

A drowsy giggle met the cheerfully cruel words as he snuggled into the warmth of his covers, now very thankful that he had them. He yawned, nuzzling into the soft fabric. With the clean warmth of the sheets here, his pillow didn't seem to stink so much. Sleep started inching its way into his tired head, forcing down the unpleasant thoughts he continued to dwell on in the back of his mind.

"Peel his skin…slice his brain," He murmured, feeling the fatigue wash over him once more. "Rip…rip out his…stupid, empty heart…" Coherent words were ceasing, and he felt a lovely sensation of falling into his grubby mattress. "Cut off…that grisly hair. And…and…nn…"

Something about the simple, pleasant sleep he was sailing into made him almost happy, alongside the brutal imaginings of murdering Bakura. He sighed with content, not even noticing that his mouth was still moving. And has he fell into a deep rest, a few words passed from his lips, subconscious and sweet. Too soft to echo through the vacant room, and too low to hear.

"…Kiss his soft lips…"

**Kage: A little strange, a little cheesy, a little gory, whatever. Alongside writing Malevolent Bliss (which has become our favorite to write so far) and a vast number of other things, we're kind of swamped.**

**Hoshi: We're also students. Please bear with us.**

**Kage: Anyway, if you read the message above, please respond with some opinion at the bottom!**

**Hoshi: If you didn't read it, then damn it, read it! -shakes fist-**

**Both: THANK YOU!**


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